To Light A Flame
by SonicGirl2002
Summary: Luke had always lived a somewhat sheltered life, until his parents decide to ship him halfway around the world to Seventh Fonon High. Public school turns out to be easy to handle…academically. Because Luke finds that, in the real world, there were people you reached out to and those that you left alone. And he just had to fall for the one he was supposed to leave alone.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **To Light A Flame

**Author:** D.R. Ward\ SonicGirl2002

**Date: **7-7-13

**Age: **14

**Summary: **Luke had always lived a somewhat sheltered life; home in his manor with a private tutor. Then his parents decide to ship him halfway around the world to Seventh Fonon High, and Luke finds himself shoved into his very first public environment, left to fend for himself. Public school though, turns out to be a lot easier to handle…academically. Because Luke finds that, in the real world, there were people you reached out to and those that you left alone. And he just had to fall for the one he was supposed to leave alone.

**Well, here we are with yet another Abyss story... yep xD I'm actually really excited for this one though! It's a collaboration co-op story with my bud KOta, aka Hollowshirosaki413. This same story is over on her account too. The only difference is that, should any mature themes pop up, they'll be over in her version xD We took turns writing every couple paragraphs, so the writing styles are obviously different. I thought it came out pretty cool, so lemme know what you guys think! Also go and drop Kota a line on her's too! We're in this one together after all! :D Without further ado, enjoy the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: Neither me or Kota own any merchandise from Tales of the Abyss! And there aren't any O.C's in here so we literally own nothing... Damn xD**

* * *

The large, old-fashioned looking bell rang loudly, signifying the inhabitants of Seventh Fonon High that it was, reluctantly, time for their curriculum activities to begin for the day. Luke Fon Fabre stood at the gates, his bright emerald green eyes widened in a sense of awe as he stared at the expensive looking new high school he was now attending. His body itched in his school uniform, his long, shiny orange hair creating a thin line of sweat through the clothing that covered his back. _This was it… This was…_

Amazing.

Luke had never seen something quite this interesting in his whole life. He was home-schooled for most of his childhood years and as a form of pity, his family had decided to send him to a school fit for him – and apparently, that happened to be The Seventh Fonon. This school was notorious for being ranked as the top of the world for the smartest, finest residents; teenagers that would make a big difference in the world, not just populate the streets as common workers. In all honesty, Luke was afraid that he wouldn't fit in at a place such as this, mostly because he didn't think that in the long run it would matter so much what he was or who he did. However, his parents had insisted. And this is where he had ended up. Sucking in a deep breath, Luke walked through the entrance, entering the building.

As Luke walked in, he was immediately surrounded by invading ivory walls that encircled his vision. He tentatively took a step forward, hearing his footsteps echo loudly in the silent office. When his gaze met the front of the room, the first thing he saw was an empty, obsidian black desk. A thin red eyebrow arched. _Where was everyone? _He leisurely approached the reception table, spotting a tiny silver bell on the surface. Cautiously, he reached out and tapped it.

_Ting._

The redhead waited, expecting something to happen. But everything stayed as still as stone. Frowning, he outstretched his hand once more and again hit the silver object, twice this time.

_Ting Ting._

Again, nothing happened. Gradually getting annoyed, Luke started bringing his hand down repeatedly, the chiming sound vibrating constantly through the air.

_Ting. Ting, Ting, Ting, Ting, Ting, Ti-_

Suddenly, a hand slammed down on top of his, causing Luke to snap to attention. He looked up into a pair of glaring, irritated blue eyes.

"I heard you the first four times, sir," the blonde woman before him spat bitterly. Luke gulped, face flushing in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry." Huffing softly, the aggravated woman released his hand and straightened up, staring down at him.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Ah, yes. My name is Luke fon Fabre; I'm the new student here." The woman nodded, click-clacking away at her keyboard for a few seconds before turning her attention back to him.

"Mr. Grants is waiting for you in his office," she said, gesturing down the hall. Luke twisted his head to stare down the pathway she directed him to.

"Alright… But which one is his-" The redhead let his sentence break off when his gaze returned to the desk to find the woman gone. His eyebrow quirked in annoyance. "Okay then…"

Starting down the hallway, Luke eyed the many obsidian colored doors lining the milky walls. He spotted one located on the wall at the end of the corridor, a plaque glowing on its surface, shining against the dark hue of the door. Approaching it, Luke eyed the inscription. _Principal's Office_. Easy enough. He reached up and quickly rapped his knuckles against the wood.

"Enter!" a voice from inside called. Luke had to suppress a shiver at the man's authoritive voice, but then resumed to do what the man had said and clicked open the golden handle. He wouldn't put it past him and think the object was painted gold; the way it felt and how heavy it was made the redhead think that it was real… Lord, not even his own home had that! Luke shook his head and sighed. Whatever, he shouldn't be thinking about that.

After a second, Luke pushed open the weighted doors into the room. Almost instantly his vision had been overwhelmed by a set of gold-plated objects – whether it be picture-frames or name plates or even….Was that a check? Luke narrowed his eyes slightly. However, when he realized he was actually judging the man, he quickly took his mind off the lavish things and decided to take in the man who was sitting in a – once again – very fancy looking chair.

"Luke fon Fabre?" came a deep, commanding tone that sent unpleasant shivers down the young teen's body. Luke nodded.

"Y-Yes. I came here for my schedule… And possibly a map of the school." The teen smiled goofily and twitched, only moving when the older man indicated for him to sit in one of the two chairs in front of the desk.

He did.

"Of course, Mr. Fabre." The principal nodded as he opened a – cough – _expensive _drawer. After a second or so he began mulling around in the seemingly messy place, before pulling out a neat, folded object that he assumed was the map. Van handed it to Luke, who took it with a small smile.

Van then began typing away at his flat-screened, extremely large computer. Luke thought he was also pulling up his school schedule to print in the printer sitting next to him. The beeping sound emitted from said machine confirmed his suspicions, and a manila-colored piece of parchment slid out. The principal snatched it up in his grip, skimmed it over, then handed it over to Luke, along with a handwritten note.

"Here's your schedule. Give the note to your first hour teacher."

"What for?"

"A tardiness excuse. Now get to class; you're late enough, yes?"

"Ah, y-yes!" Luke stated quickly, standing. "Thank you!"

"Feel free to come see me if you need any help."

"Yeah, okay. Goodbye!" With that, Luke hurried out the door, grateful to escape the tense atmosphere of the office. After hearing the click signaling the door had shut, the redhead raced down the hall, fumbling to open up the map in his hand.

"Okay, first hour… first hour…" he mumbled to himself, looking over his schedule as well. English. Glancing back at the diagram of the building, Luke identified the correct classroom and took off.

~oOo~

A now-panting redhead stood before yet another obsidian colored door. He'd noticed that; that this school didn't vary in style. All the halls were a porcelain white with ebony doors, the flooring a pale, blue-hued marble. Any other designs or patterns found on the walls or taped to the windows were red and black.

Luke knocked on the door to the classroom, then turned the handle and stepped in. Now Luke would like to be nice and say that it was a normal, prestigious learning facility, but as he had realized long before, this was not a normal school. Once again, many upon many items cluttered the place, gold lining every single object that he could see: globes, books, even their intricate technology known as the 'smart boards.' As Luke glanced around the room, he noted that even the people had a proper aura around their forms.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Fabre," the teacher called. Timidly, Luke nodded, a blush adorning his features. The English teacher motioned him towards the head of the room. "Class, this is Luke fon Fabre, your new classmate." The instructor gestured to the redhead. "Luke, please do tell us about yourself." Gulping, Luke faced the class with a somewhat shy, fearful expression.

"Um….Well, I'm Luke, and uh…." The redheaded teen clasped his hands in front of him and tilted his head to the side, blush firmly in place. "I've never been to public school. Back in Baticul, I was home-schooled, so….This is all kinda new to me…." Luke looked over to the teacher out of desperation, wondering if he was excused to the seat. Unluckily, the teacher was not looking at him, but his attendance board.

"Now class, back to the lesson –…." Just then, the door to the classroom was once again thrown open, and a blond teen dashed in. To everyone else, including Luke, the boy seemed extremely disheveled. With wide eyes, the new kid glanced at the form that had burst in with a slight redness to his angled cheekbones.

"Sorry, Teach! I tripped and fell and had to run home to get my spare uniform." The figure had stated with a nervous laugh. Interested with the man and confused as to why the other teens were laughing so loudly at him, Luke cocked his head to the side in wonder.

"It's alright Guy, just try not to make a habit of it."

The intruder nodded bashfully as the other people continued to giggle. However the only thing both the teacher and Guy had done was stay silent, Guy making his way to his seat in the back of the room, away from everyone else. The teacher coughed. "Alright, Luke, you may choose whatever seat fits your interests."

Luke nodded and smiled. He could tell a few of the girls and a few of the guys were trying to get him to sit next to the empty seats by them, but he only smiled and passed them while moving to the seat he had already chosen. People watched him with careful eyes, Luke could tell, as he trudged to the seat next to the blonde, noting that no one had sat in at least two seats radius of the boy. Carefully, Luke pulled out the chair next to Guy, trying not to make any noise as he sat next to the friendless kid.

The people around the room gasped, including the teacher and the blonde student. Guy blinked his impossibly blue eyes at the newcomer, who smiled at him with a strange giddiness alighting his eyes. "Hi!" Guy grinned, his pearly white teeth being noticed by that of Luke's sea green gaze.

"H-Hello." Luke grinned sheepishly as the other extended a tanned hand to shake. The equally tanned new student grasped his hand and shook it firmly, pulling it away not long after. "If you didn't catch it, my name's Guy. You're Luke, right?"

"Yeah."

And that's how Luke's day began.

~oOo~

By the time third hour rolled around, Luke had become good friends with Guy. It turned out that the two teens had at least first and second hour together. In second hour, it had become fairly obvious that Guy wasn't exactly the most popular kid in school. Both teens had paid little attention to neither their Math nor English lessons and ended up talking more about themselves. Guy had mentioned that all the mockery had started back when he had openly admitted he was gay. Luke had assured the blond that he had nothing against his sexuality and had thoughts about liking men as well.

Much to Luke's dismay, he and Guy didn't have the same third period, so Luke was left to fend for himself. He arrived at his Science class early, with it being so close to his locker. No other students were even in the room, save for one in the very back, a book in his hands. The other teen had long, crimson red hair that spilled over his shoulders and down his back. He had a glowing pale complexion with piercing emerald green eyes. At the echoing sound of Luke's footsteps, his eyes flicked up. The other redhead smiled shyly at him.

"H-Hi." The boy blinked, expression not changing in the slightest, then turned his eyes back to his book. Luke's brow furrowed, but he kept the smile on his face. "My name's Luke," he pressed. The other boy hummed lowly, not giving Luke any other form of acknowledgment. The lighter redhead rocked back and forth on his heels, trying again. "What's your name?"

"Can you just leave me alone?" the teen suddenly snapped, causing Luke to step back. "I'm trying to read." The unknown individual had lifted his eyes to glare at the other, and the look gave Luke shivers. Mumbling an apology, he retreated back to the front of the room, sliding into his seat as the other students started filing in.

All through Science, Luke's mind was half on the lesson and half on the mysterious boy hiding in the back of the room. When Luke had gathered the courage to glance at him over his shoulder, he found that the boy was sitting by himself, cut off from the other students, and no one seemed to really acknowledge him, not even the teacher. Luke wondered if this boy was like Guy; didn't have many friends because of what he was. And if that was the case, then Luke decided he'd make it his personal mission to help that other redhead out, because being lonely was never fun.

After third hour, they were released to the cafeteria for lunch. After he got out of the kitchen, lunch tray in hand, Luke glanced around for a place to sit, feeling the loneliness of being the new kid settle inside his stomach. Then, he spotted Guy's head of golden blond hair and hurried over to his new friend.

"Hey, Luke!" the blue-eyed teen greeted. "I was wondering where you were!"

"Um, is it okay if I sit with you guys?" Luke asked bashfully, noting the other kids at the table. Guy gave him a dazzling grin.

"Sure, go ahead." Giving the blond teen a grateful smile, the redhead sat down. "Everyone," Guy continued, "this is Luke. He's new here. Luke, this is Tear, Anise, Sync, and Ion." Luke smiled at the others, his shy side still showing.

"Hello."

"Hiya!" a small raven-haired girl chirped happily. "I'm Anise! Nice to meet you! Your eyes are really pretty!" The redhead's blush increased tenfold, and he ducked his head.

"U-um….Th-thank you…."

"I'm Ion," one of the green-haired boys said kindly. "This is my twin brother, Sync." Sync nodded at Luke in greeting, a gesture the latter returned.

"And I'm Tear," the remaining beige-haired girl said.

"Nice to meet you guys."

"Hey, Luke!" Anise chimed. "Is it true you were home-schooled your whole life?"

So Luke launched into the story of how this was his first time in a public school, and what home-schooling was like. About halfway through the lunch period, a student walked past and blew a napkin off Luke's tray, the paper fluttering to the floor behind him. Twisting his body around, Luke bent down to pick it up. When he lifted his head, he caught sight of a lone red-haired boy sitting across the room. His eyes widened in realization.

_That's that boy from my Science class!_

Straightening back up, Luke nudged his blond friend. "Um, hey Guy? Who's that boy over there, sitting all by himself?" Guy looked over his shoulder, picking out the person Luke was describing and whirling back around.

"Him?" Guy said in a slightly hushed tone. "That's Asch Lorelei, but everyone calls him Asch the Bloody." Luke cocked his head in interest.

"Why do they call him that?"

"He's not a nice guy, Luke. He's always getting into fights and getting sent down to the principal. He's even been suspended a couple times." Guy placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Trust me; Asch is not the kind of guy you want to hang around with. He rarely ever talks to people anyway, so just keep your distance, okay?"

"Okay…" Luke said, once again eyeing the boy. Inside of his mind, he was sure that he wanted to investigate the intriguing teen some more, but it seemed as if he was seriously dangerous. Even if that sent a pair of shivers down his spine, mostly uncomfortable ones, he couldn't help but want to get to know the bloody redhead a little bit more than what people had to say.

After he had finished his lunch, talking with his newfound friends about miscellaneous things and answering their never-ending questions, Luke had been booted to his next class – gym. He had been torn between dreading this class and hoping to have it because, of course, all of his friends had happened to be in the same class, however, he had heard rumors that apparently the gym teacher wasn't exactly the kindest out there. From what he had heard the other was a brutal mass of muscle that had little to no mercy – and that kind of scared Luke.

Not because he was weak or anything – he was actually pretty good at sports, but being good to Luke meant one of two things. He was either going to get on the good side of the man because he was athletic, or he was going to get on the bad side and be labeled as a show-off, which later proceeded to a lot of extra laps and a lot more call-outs. So, hopefully, it would be the good athletic one.

As he was glancing around the groups in his class, waiting for them to get to their lockers to change, he noticed another shock of pure, bright red invading his peripheral vision. Blinking, Luke's eyes zeroed in on the being, who he later found out was….

_That same guy his friend had warned him about!_

Luke, to say the least, was shocked. He had no idea what he was going to say to or about the teen now dubbed as Asch – well, actually, he wasn't sure if he _could _do anything. It seemed whenever someone wanted to talk or converse with the red-headed spit-fire, he pushed them away with a death glare or simply ignored them to the point of them storming away out of anger. And to now be with him in gym, as well? How many classes was Luke going to have with this guy? Not that he was complaining; actually he was rather intrigued with the stoic being.

As they were lead into the changing rooms, Luke kept his gaze on the tiled floor. His friends were conversing around him, being goofy as usual. They were talking about something with bologna and playing a prank on the teacher – to be honest he didn't really know nor care about it. Instead his mind was plagued with thoughts of the attractive enigma….His hair, how stand-offish he was; things like that. His steps were slow and lagging as he tried to hide behind his friends and away from Asch, who brought up the back of the line.

He had a feeling it was going to be a long first week.


	2. A Silent Hymm

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Luke's eyebrows twitched as the shrill sound of his alarm clock roused him from his slumber. Burrowed under the covers as he was, the last thing he wanted to do was get up, let alone reach over and shut the timer off. But as the noise continued, the redhead felt his eardrums begin to ache. _Ugh, this was worse than having scissors shoved in his ears! _After a few more minutes of silently enduring the agony, Luke forced himself up into a sitting position and slammed his hand down on the clock, effectively shutting it off.

Groaning, the redheaded teen scrubbed sleep from his eyes, blindly groping around on his nightstand in the dim light for his cell phone. Locating it, he grasped it up in his grip and kicked the covers off, shivering when his bare feet came into contact with the cold hardwood floors of his apartment.

One of the few perks of home-schooling: not having to wake up at ungodly hours of the morning.

Luke was not, by any means, a morning person. He could – and gladly would – sleep until three in the afternoon every day. But now that he was living on his own, it was his responsibility to get himself up and ready in the morning and get his ass to school. Annoying as it was, Luke was determined to show his parents that he could manage just fine independently. All his life, Luke had grown up in his family's manor in Baticul. He'd never left the city, and had been given a private tutor for educational purposes. But Luke's eighteenth birthday was right around the corner, and his parents had decided that he needed to learn how to take care of himself. Which he was completely capable of doing, and now that he'd finally left, the thought of having to return to residence in Baticul was becoming less and less appealing to him. That being said, Luke refused to let something as trivial as his sleeping habits ruin his chances of escape.

Padding out into the kitchen, Luke tossed his phone onto the counter and set about to making breakfast, throwing a piece of bread in the toaster and pulling out a jar of jelly. As the bread grilled inside the appliance, the redhead went back to his bedroom and changed into his school uniform; a gray long-sleeved jacket, gray slacks, brown dress shoes, and a white polo shirt with an undershirt of his choice (currently a plain red one) beneath it. Just as he finished buttoning his shirt, he heard the toast pop up, and retreated back to the kitchen to slather some jelly on the food and scarf it down before grabbing his keys and exiting his apartment.

Day two, begin.

~oOo~

First and second hour passed by relatively slowly, nothing particularly exciting happening. Luke and Guy had once again spent Mr. Spinoza's and Mr. Curtiss' lessons chatting amongst themselves; though Mr. Curtiss had caught them once and made them turn in their copies of the notes for a grade. Nonetheless, the two teens left the classroom smiling and laughing, ignoring the scornful looks of the other students.

Now it was third hour, and once again Luke was there rather early. He set his books down at his desk, looking over at Asch, who once again sat at his assigned seat in the back of the room. He once again had his nose in a book, his emerald orbs scanning the pages. Remembering his thoughts from yesterday, Luke took a deep breath, and then walked over to the redhead's desk.

As he approached, Asch's eyes glanced up, caught sight of him, and glared. Luke resisted the urge to shiver and came to a stop in front of his desk.

"Um…hey," Luke greeted awkwardly. "I uh…just wanted to say I'm sorry if I bothered you yesterday." Asch blinked, clearly not expecting the other boy to say such a thing. "It's just kinda weird being the new kid and all, you know?" The darker redhead's green eyes narrowed, but he didn't appear annoyed. Luke took that as a good sign and smiled shyly. "But, I mean, we're all new at some point, right?" Asch didn't say anything, but he tilted his chin in acknowledgement before going back to his book. Luke continued to stand next to his desk until finally, he reached over and pulled out the chair to the desk in front of Asch's and sat saddle-style in it.

"Do you mind if I ask what you're reading?" Asch shifted the book in his hands so Luke could see the cover. "'Tales of Mythology?' That sounds kinda interesting. Is it any good?" The other teen nodded. "Huh. Maybe I'll try it sometime. Though I'm not much of a reader," Luke said with a chuckle. Asch glanced up at him again, expression blank. Luke was suddenly aware of the sounds in the room and realized the classroom had filled up with students and the lesson was due to start any minute. Smiling again, the red-haired teen stood up.

"I should probably get back to my seat." Still, the other offered no reply, following him with his piercing green gaze. Luke cleared his throat. "Um…well, bye then." He turned around and made to head for his desk, when something latched onto his wrist.

"Wait." Luke looked at Asch over his shoulder, wide-eyed. The sitting redhead bent a corner of the page he was on, closed the book, and shoved it into Luke's hand. "It's alright. Give it a shot." Luke stared at the novel now in his hand, then smiled brightly at Asch.

"Thanks! I'll give it back to you tomorrow." Asch nodded, motioning for him to go back to his seat. Luke did so, and as soon as he slid into his chair, the bell rang, signaling the start of the class.

When the lecture had started, Luke had tried his best to pay attention to the lesson, he really did, however it had been proved futile as his thoughts had drifted back to the lonely teen and the book. Visions of long, silky red hair and mythology danced before his very eyes; Asch as a vampire, Asch as a faerie – not one of the wussy ones, but that of a warrior – a forest nymph, so on and so on. Every picture made the young burnt-red-heads head swim and his blood rush to his face as an unmanageable speed.

He wondered why Asch was so drawn to the mythical side of history, anyway. He didn't seem like one to believe in such folk as that – the wars and things of the sort. He seemed more realistic. Things like World War's and stuff like that fit him better. But he guessed – to each their own.

Luke sighed as he tapped his pencil against the cold wood desk he was trapped in. A blank paper lay under him when it should be filled with pounds and pounds of information, and yet he had not even touched the tip of the pencil against the white piece of shaved and laminated wood. A sigh escaped his lips.

At least he had gotten Asch to talk.

~oOo~

Guy had attacked Luke as soon as the bell had rung for sixth hour to be over. "Hey, hey Luke, Luke, do you wanna come over today?" The bubbly blonde asked the standing lithe form that belonged to Luke. Said redhead glanced over at his friend, a brow cocked and his head tilted in wonder.

"Didn't you say you had to work?" Luke asked him. He grabbed his books out from his desk and stashed them in his bag, uncaring of what condition they may come out to be. As he stared back at the blonde and lifted his bag, Guy continued.

"My work _is _at home silly." Guy informed his friend. Luke blinked, confused. _What kind of work is that? _As if reading his mind, Guy relented. "You'll see." He replied creepily. "And besides, I was wondering if you'd take me for a spin in that white Ford Mustang of yours." Luke snickered.

"I think we could make that happen."

So that was how Luke ended up standing in front of Guy's house. When they had arrived Guy had stumbled out of the car with a freakish laugh, saying 'you drive like an insane person!' and Luke had only grinned. The directions had been provided by a hysterical Guy along the way, and with his giddy tendencies Luke was surprised to have gotten there without being lost at least once or twice. The Cecil – Guy's – family had owned a mansion in the middle of nowhere and supported themselves with a custom Audi R8 sitting out of the garage.

Speaking of garage….When Luke began walking towards their gates to get into their home, followed by a giggling Guy, he had noticed that their garage was a little bit bigger than normal. That may just be because they liked collecting cars, like plenty of other rich people, but that growing grin on his friends face was making him even more confused as he took every step to the motion-censored door. Their steps up off the pavement echoed in the otherwise silent forest-type area every time they advanced towards the garage, the slightly windy parking lot glistening with millions of shadows of leaves.

After a little bit, they had made their way up the slight hill and next to the white wall-feature, getting ready to step foot in the house after being recognized. And when the door had begun to rise, Luke could only stare as each and every object suddenly came into view.

There were tools _everywhere. _

Hanging on the walls, on the benches and below the benches, around and under the cars, in buckets and so many other places that the redheaded teen couldn't even name them all. Oil was spilt at every corner of the huge body-shop, and a very, very large air compressor sat in the far right corner, almost completely covered from view by the five or six cars that happened to be in the area. Clamps of every kind were strewn around the scene along with a few different types of measuring tools; all of which Luke had no idea what they were.

What really caught Luke's eye was the airbrushing corner. It was to the right, closest to the two teens and just screamed the need to be touched. It looked like no one had touched anything like that in forever – and Luke just _loved _airbrushing anything he could get his hands on. Junk cars, expensive cars, crap board – it was anything and everything. Not many people knew that Luke was smart enough to know what an airbrushing fold looked like – let alone how to _use _it.

"Welcome to my work." Guy spoke with an exaggerated tone as he stepped into the lavish shop. Luke followed not long after, awed.

"Y-Yeah…." Luke grinned. "Do you fix cars or give them paint jobs?" He asked casually as he set his books in an empty corner. Guy did the same, stretching along the way. While Luke sat down on the nearest wooden stool, also almost covered from head to toe in oil and surrounded by rags, Guy made way for what seemed like his newest car-job-thing-whatever.

"Oh, I couldn't colour a car for shit. Yeah, I work on them instead." Guy shrugged. "I mostly do racing cars; attach NOS and stuff like that. It isn't exactly legal, but it pays better than just fixing a car." The redhead gaped at his nonchalant friend but the only thing Guy did was shrug and plop himself on the floor with a couple of tools. After situating himself on the concrete and making sure a rag was near him, Guy slid under the buff-looking car for more alterations.

So, I couldn't help but notice you're trying to get all cozy with that Asch kid." Guy's voice was slightly muffled by the car and Luke had to strain to hear, but when he did, he frowned slightly.

"There's nothing wrong with that. He looked lonely, so I tried talking to him. This time he gave me a book and told me it was pretty good – it was only mythology." Luke said, slightly proud with his newfound information.

Guy gaped from under the giant automobile. "R-Really? It isn't like Asch to talk to anybody, let alone near strangers…." To Luke, Guy had sounded slightly exasperated. Luke nodded his head even though he knew his friend couldn't see it.

"Yeah!" Luke giggled. "I mean, I never would've expected him to be into…." And with that, they launched into a whole new discussion of things about Asch and weird mythical creatures.

~oOo~

When Luke finally risked a glance outside of the garage, a little worn out from his exertion from speaking, he noticed that the sun was beginning to fall, leaving a whole aroma of reds and pinks and baby blues all over the sky. The redhead took this opportunity to stand. "Alright Guy, I'm gonna half to let you go. It's getting dark and I don't like driving at night." A snort traveled across the room.

"Alright Mr. Safety. I'll see you tomorrow, alright? You'll be able to come again?" Guy asked hopefully as he wiped some oil off his hands from his previous job of checking the oil in every car.

"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow!" Luke strolled to the corner where his and Guy's bags still lay, before picking up the merchandise with a tiny yawn. He turned away with a last goodbye and began to make his way down the, once again, windy drive way and eventually out of the gates.

The redhead reached into his pocket and fished out his car keys, about to unlock his white vehicle, when out of nowhere, a soft sound invaded his hearing. Pausing in his actions, Luke listened carefully. It was obviously an instrument of some kind; however, the specific type was beyond Luke's knowledge. He loved art, but didn't dapple much in the musical department; he much rather preferred a pencil and some paper over a trumpet and sheet music. Nonetheless, the teen enjoyed music as much as the nest person, and knew a good tune when he heard one. The melody his eardrums were currently picking up was soft and smooth, most likely a chorale of some kind. Curiosity getting the better of him, Luke turned around and headed into the miniature forest Guy lived in.

Following the sound of the instrument was a bit harder than Luke originally anticipated; it was loud at some parts and softer at others, and sometimes it stopped altogether for a short time span before picking back up. Attention completely hooked by this point, the teen continued to trudge through the trees until he finally spotted a small break in the shrubbery. Carefully and cautiously, Luke peeked into the clearing, slipping behind a tree as he searched for any signs of life.

He found one. Oh, he found one, and it was the last thing he expected to find.

In the clearing, sitting up against the trunk of a tree, was a red-haired, green-eyed teen that Luke instantly recognized. There was no mistaking that silky-looking, blood-colored hair and those vibrant yet piercing emerald pools.

It was _Asch_.

He had a wood-colored acoustic guitar resting in his lap, a large black case on one side of him – Luke assumed it was the guitar's case – and a few pieces of paper on the other. Asch's green apple eyes were currently focused on the paper, the observing teen noticing the black writing utensil twisted in his fingers. Staring intently at the parchment, Luke could make out the ebony black ink scratched across it, but couldn't make out anything specific. He watched as Asch marked on the page, then placed the pen down and slid his hands under the guitar. Luke noted how easily he situated it in his grasp, showing that he knew how to handle the instrument.

Then Asch's fingertips ran along the strings, and that soft, beautiful melody returned to the wood, Luke's eyes widening. _It really was him…_ Staying in the cover of the brush, Luke continued watching the other redhead, catching all the little things he did; the way his fingers glided so effortlessly along the neck of the guitar, how his eyes stared fondly down at it, how every time the lightest breeze blew by, it lifted his crimson hair about him and gave him a look of peaceful serenity.

Asch looked like an angel.

Suddenly, abruptly, Asch stopped playing. His deep green gaze stared into the space in front of him for a few seconds, then he turned, picked the pen back up, and scribbled something down on the paper. With that completed, he picked the instrument back up and shifted – his back now to Luke – and went about to the task of what Luke was assuming was putting the guitar back into it's case. The lighter redhead heard a couple of clicking sounds, and Asch reached behind him to grab his papers.

A strong breeze blew by in that moment, sending the white sheets fluttering out of Asch's reach and towards Luke's hiding spot. Without thinking, Luke stepped forward, out of his cover, and stooped down to retrieve the pages before they drifted into the trees. When he straightened his spine, standing upright once more, he looked up and caught the other teen's wide-eyed gaze. Luke blinked, a sudden heat flooding his cheeks.

"U-um… I…" His lips couldn't seem to properly form words, and his mind couldn't think of any to try to speak anyway. So instead, he lamely thrust the papers in his hand out in front of him. Standing as well, Asch stepped up to him and quickly ripped the papers out of his hand, tucking them under his arm. He strode to the other side of the clearing, picking up the guitar case as he went. Realizing he planned to leave, Luke reached out.

"H-Hey, wait a sec!" Asch sharply twisted his head to stare at the redhead behind him, a glare now etched onto his already angry features. "I-I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that! Er, well, I wasn't even really, like, _sneaking _sneaking! I was just listening and…and… You're really good." The darker red-haired teen blinked, seemingly surprised by the other's words. "I mean, that was really pretty. Beautiful." Luke smiled softly. "You're amazing." Asch tilted his face so he wasn't meeting Luke's gaze, but there was no denying the light rosy color now painting his cheeks.

"You're really creepy, you know that? Why don't you just leave me alone?" Luke took a second to let the voice echo in his ears, not used to hearing the other boy speak.

"…Because I want to get to know you more." Asch's eyes narrowed.

"On top of being a stalker, you're an idiot, too." Then he turned, crimson hair billowing out with the movement and the wind, and Asch disappeared. Luke watched the other go with awe-stricken, amazed eyes.

In an instant, a creeping blush managed to make its way up to his features. Luke shook his head, unable to comprehend what he had just did. Why did he pick up those papers? Why couldn't he keep his hands to himself….Maybe Asch wouldn't hate him that much. Luke flinched into the darkness with an appalled look on his features. "God, I am an idiot…." Luke muttered. He ran his fingers through his burnt orange hair and turned, planning to go back to his car – albeit grudgingly.

But that sound….That sound was beautiful. Luke was instantly drawn to it and as he had stepped closer and closer to the sound, his fingers and hi veins and, quite frankly, every fiber in his body seemed to tingle along with the tune. He realized that he wanted to hear the other play again; he wanted to be able to get under Asch's skin just long enough…. Just for him to at least make friends with him.

With a shake of his head Luke made way for his car. When he got in he slammed the expensive door shut and scowled at himself, obviously disliking the fact that he had acted like such a pubescent teen. When Luke was alone he had no problem with himself; he had no one to talk to other than the people he was used to and he had never felt…. He had never experienced this sort of compassion for someone in the outside world.

Luke groaned and pressed his forehead against the cold leather steering wheel of his sports car. With closed eyes Luke lifted his hands to hit the leather once, before keeping his hands attached to the appliance that was holding up his head.

"I'm not prepared for this…." Luke muttered, even though he already knew that he would probably end up making more of an ass out of himself. After a second Luke lifted his head off the steering wheel and shook himself out of it, instead deciding to drive back home.

All the way back the only thing Luke focused on was a pair of emerald eyes and a single tune that he hummed all the way back.

~oOo~

Luke plopped on his California King bed and pulled up his white silk sheets up to his waist, bare chest feeling a little bit warmer than the rest of his body. With a sigh Luke glanced down at his hands to see the very same book, 'Tales of Mythology,' that Asch had given him. With the request of reading it still clear in his mind, the burnt-orange haired teen opened the book.

After a moment of staring blankly at a page, Luke began to read. He noted that before any actual story appeared, he had to read up on the types of animals taken inside of the story itself.

_Milo_

_Name: Milo_

_Type: Sea-Creature _

_Derived From: Greek Term – "Miloaka." _

_Date created: 2400 B.C. _

_Physical Appearance: Humanistic features with gills on either side of their cheeks and foreheads. Usually induced with larger eyes that have no pupil – most common eyes colour being orange. Their chests, male or female are usually bare and their arms are about half the size of a humans in form, with a membrane-like webbing attached to the length of their arms to the side of their stomach. Their lower half is consisted of that of a sea serpent – a thirty to forty foot long receding tale that is aligned with crystal blue scales. _

_Powers: Entrancing to the eyes, the creature known as a 'Milo' is known to act as a Siren; an aphrodisiac scent attached to them to drag in and lure a human form into the water. When deep enough, the Milo will reach out of the water, still singing their entrancing song, their clawed – as well as webbed – hands grasping on to the humans jaw. With one sharp pull, the Milo's hand will most likely dislocate the human's jaw and tear it off of them. They are highly violent and no listings of human interaction had appeared to live through their encounters. _

Luke shivered and closed his eyes, pushing the book to the edge of his huge bed. He had to hold back a shiver at what he had just read – just the thought of his jaw being torn from him scared the living daylights out of him. However, even in his tired stupor, Luke realized that he had wanted to read more.

Though Luke had pressed no further thoughts, because not a second later had the red-head fallen into a deep, undisturbed sleep.


	3. Caught in the Act

Hey guys! Welcome back to the story! :D Been a while since we updated, but it's really hard finding time to get together with Hollowshirosaki413 (aka Kota) and a lot of times we rely on email and texting to get this done xD But we're super excited for this story, so don't worry! We have no intentions of abandoning it and it will be written, posted, and completed in due time! :D

**NOTE: THIS CHAPTER ORIGINLLY CONTAINED M-RATED CONTENT. IF YOU WISH TO READ THE SMUT VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE GO TO _Hollowshirosaki413_'s VERSION OF IT (story is listed under same title, Hollowhsirosaki413 can also be found in my Favorite Author's list). IF YOU WISH TO READ THE PG VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, CONTINUE ON.**

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Chapter 3

_Caught in the Act_

Luke could honestly say that he was completely and utterly dreading third hour that day. He had no idea how he was supposed to face Asch after what happened yesterday. From what Guy had told him and the rumors he'd heard – but really, who hadn't heard them? – Asch Lorelei didn't 'play nice.' If he closed his eyes and imagined it, Luke could almost feel the ache in his cheek from where Asch would punch him.

If it even happened.

The light red-haired teen stood outside his science classroom, books bundled in his arms as he stared into the doorway leading to his doom. _Come on, Luke, stop it! The worst he can do is hit you! _He forcefully shook his head. Not exactly the statement he wanted to hear at the moment. Regardless, Luke drew in a deep breath and stepped inside the room.

To his surprise, Asch was nowhere to be found. His textbooks and papers sat atop his normal desk, but the teen himself was gone. Frowning in confusion, Luke walked over to his own desk and set down his materials. He eyed Asch's desk again, as if the other redhead would somehow magically reappear. Shaking his head, the teen turned around to head back into the hallway. But when he turned around, he ran smack into the one person he'd been both looking for and avoiding. Shocked and surprised, Luke stumbled back, and would've fallen over his desk had Asch not reached forward and grabbed him by the collar of his uniform, pulling their faces closer together. Asch's eyes were settled in a fierce glare, alight with burning green fire. Luke gulped, feeling blood rush to his face.

"Listen here, dreck," Asch said lowly, yet his voice was laced with a terrifying sort of venom. "You better not tell anyone what you saw yesterday."

"…H-Huh?" Luke squeaked, mentally cursing how inferior he sounded. The redhead grasping his collar snarled.

"Shut up!" he spat. "You know what I'm talking about! And I swear, if you tell a soul-"

"I-I won't!" the captured teen sputtered assuringly.

"You better not." Asch roughly shoved him away by the throat, starting to head back to his assigned seat.

"But um… Asch?" The retreating red-haired boy paused, shooting Luke a glare over his shoulder. "I… I'm sorry I snuck up on you yesterday. I just… You… You really were good." That light flush once again spread across Asch's cheeks as he snarled again and shoved at Luke once more.

"Shut up! Just shut up! Forget you even saw me yesterday! In fact, do us both a favor and forget you even met me!" Other students were starting to flood the classroom now, and with one last scornful look Asch turned away, frighteningly definitive. Luke fell into his seat, swiveling around to face the front of the room. Why did Asch have to be like that? Why did he always push everyone away? Instead of the other's words defeating him, they only spurred him on. He wanted to help Asch; show him what it was like to not have to worry about being alone. Luke had been down that road practically his whole life, and if he could do something about it, he wasn't going to sit idly by and let Asch do that to himself.

_I'm not going to stop Asch… I can't._

He couldn't just forget Asch, even if he wanted to. The mysterious, cold, red-haired teen sitting somewhere behind him had been the only thing on his mind for days. Yes, there were those times when Luke felt like he was going to give up – much like today, of course, but there were also those times when the things that Asch did spurred him on to talk to the boy more – like the book thing? Yeah, that was one of those times.

Luke absentmindedly stared at the white smart board in front of him, not understanding what the hell Dist was talking about. All he could really think about was the fact that even if Asch threatened him in a less than civil way – he was still morally obsessed with Asch and his compulsively long hair. God, was he strange.

Did that make him a bad person?

Luke really hoped not.

The teacher's voice droned on and on and even if Luke really, really, truthfully wanted to pay attention, he knew that he would be unable to. Every once in a while, Luke would find his eyes scanning the area around him, and they would always end up wandering to the back of the classroom where Asch was sitting. And every damned time that happened, Asch's gaze would avert from wherever he was staring off to and lock gazes with him, the burning malice literally boring holes into his skin.

And then he would glance away.

And then his gaze would wander.

Again.

And repeat.

Gaze.

Glare.

Turn.

And again.

God, sometimes Luke _really _hated being so obvious.

"Luke…."

It really was annoying….

"Luke…."

Asch probably hated him anyway for being such a creeper.

"Luke!?"

"What!?" Luke snapped out of his self-induced stupor as his teacher had called out his name from the front of the room. As everyone's eyes turned on him, Luke blushed and curled into himself a little bit, his lip arched down in a slight frown. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Did you listen to what I was saying?" Dist had spoken with a sickening smirk as he tapped his desk in impatience. Luke, who appeared as if he was a deer caught in headlights, bit his lip and slowly shook his head from side to side, not speaking. The crazed science teacher grinned as if he already knew and simply chuckled. "Well, my little adolescent child, I was in the process of explaining who your partners were for the project you are supposed to complete."

Luke gulped as he stared at his teacher, his eyes widened in fright.

But Dist, being the asshole he was, let him suffer. And for the longest of time, the only thing that Dist did was stare at him with those cold, electric purple eyes of humorless anger and act like he was slowly torturing him to the point of oblivion. "You, for your insolence, will be partnered up with Asch – because everyone else seems particularly afraid."

Luke, who only heard that he was partnered up with Asch, froze in his seat. His spine straightened and with a slight tilt to his head, the redhead frowned. "I-I don't think that….That's a good…." Luke suddenly began to speak.

Asch, surprisingly, interrupted him. "Fine." The stone-cold sound in his voice made the whole classroom drop a couple of degrees as the fiery boy had accepted the partner he had. Luke turned to stare at Asch.

"W-Wha?"

"Excellent! Now get to work!" Dist snapped before retreating to his desk. Asch rolled his eyes and lifted his hand, arching a finger to Luke in the 'come here' motion. Gulping, the light redhead scrambled to grab his papers and pencil and hurried back over to the other's desk. He set his papers beside Asch's and once again sat saddle-style in the chair in front of his desk. Luke met the other redhead's green gaze with a blush.

"Um… I-"

"Shut up and work," was all Asch said, pushing a piece of paper with a bunch of chemical names on it towards him and stood up, heading to the front of the room to grab their supplies. Luke stared at the symbols and formulas on the parchment before him. He'd spent so much time daydreaming that he hadn't been paying attention in class at all the past couple days; he had no idea what the hell all this was. He groaned, slapping his palm against his forehead. Great. Another reason for Asch to get mad at him.

Said redhead returned then, a silver igniter in one hand with a Bunsen burner tucked under his arm and a small tray holding several tiny paper boats in the other. He set them down on the desk next to them and turned to Luke.

"Alright, let's go." Luke gulped again, his blush intensifying.

"I… I um… d-don't know what to do…" Asch sighed in exasperation, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Right. I forgot you're an idiot." Before Luke could protest, Asch grabbed him by the arm none-to-gently and yanked him to his feet. The lighter redhead squeaked as he was suddenly pulled to the other's side. "It's real simple; even you should be able to grasp this." Luke pouted, but Asch ignored him as he picked up a long flat toothpick from the tray. He carefully dipped it into one of the paper boats – one with pale green dust coating the bottom – and then handed it to Luke. He picked up the igniter, positioning it in his right hand and turning the dial on the Bunsen burner with his left. A hissing sound filled the air, and Asch squeezed the silver object, causing it to spark and for the bottle to catch flame. Then he placed his hand over Luke's and guided the toothpick he held into the flame. The blaze, upon coming into contact with the dust coating the wooden stick, changed to a solid green color. Luke's eyes widened in amazement.

"Whoa…" he breathed. "What is that stuff?"

"That's what we have to find out," Asch explained, reaching behind him and picking up one of the sheets of paper. Holding it so Luke could see it to, he dragged his finger down the list of words until he stopped on 'green'. Then he moved it over to the words 'Magnesium Chloride'.

"So that's what made the flame green?"

"Mhm." The darker redhead let Luke hold the toothpick in the flame a while longer while he scribbled the answer down on their lab sheet. Then he pried the stick away from the childish boy and dropped it into a nearby glass of water. "And that's all there is to it."

"Can I pick the next one?" Luke asked, looking over at the other boy, who nodded. Grinning, Luke grabbed a new toothpick from the pile and chose the next dust, this one a pale yellow in color. He stuck it into the flame and watched it turn a bright orange.

"Sodium Oxide," Asch said, and Luke glanced at him. Asch wasn't even looking at the answer key; he was already writing the answer down. The lighter red-haired teen tilted his head questioningly.

"How'd you know that?"

"Sodium means it'll be a solid color, and the oxygen makes it bright," he explained. "Just science." Luke grinned.

"You're really smart." Asch scoffed.

"More like I pay attention during class." He reached past Luke to grab a fresh toothpick, dipping it into a white powder and turning the flame a bright white. "Go look up this one."

"You can't tell what it is?" Luke asked, picking up the paper and scanning it's contents.

"I can, but I'm not doing all the work." Luke laughed.

"Potassium Oxide," he said, marking it down on the paper. Asch nodded and handed Luke the next toothpick.

The two continued with the process, Luke watching in awe each time the plain flare of heat changed colors; from blues to purples to pinks. Asch simply rolled his eyes at Luke's childish antics but didn't comment. But due to this, the two redheads weren't finished when Dist called the class back to attention. Luckily, many other groups weren't done either, so Dist said they could take a few of the mineral samples home and complete them for tomorrow, saying a stovetop flame would work fine as well. Upon hearing this news, Luke turned to Asch, his shy side once again showing itself.

"Um… You could… come over today, after school, i-if you wanted to. So we can finish the lab and… yeah." Asch raised an eyebrow at Luke's stutters and shrugged.

"I'm fine with that. Give me your address, I'll meet you after-"

"You can ride home with me," Luke cut in. "I mean, I'll be driving myself anyway, so…" _God that sounded so dumb._ Asch was silent, mulling the thought over in his mind a bit before nodding.

"Alright. Then I'll meet you at the entrance doors after sixth hour." Luke grinned in relief.

The bell rang over the intercom then, signaling the end of class. Asch nodded to Luke in acknowledgement before gathering up his books and heading out. After he'd gone, Luke took the time to do a silent fist pump in the now empty classroom.

_Score!_

~oOo~

Sixth hour did not come quick enough, and when it finally rolled around, it dragged on slow as hell. The chime of the bell marking the end of the day was music to Luke's ears as he sped out of his Global Studies classroom. He dashed down the hall to his locker, twisting in his combination and quickly stuffing his books into his bag before slamming the door and taking off down the hall. He was halfway to the entrance when he realized he'd left the container holding the needed supplies for the science project on his locker shelf. Grumbling, he went back to get them, and by the time he reached the front doors of the school, most of the students had already filed out on the buses.

Asch was leaning against the wall next to the doorway leading into the office. As he approached, Luke noted that Asch had traded in the uniform gray jacket for a black leather one, which rested comfortably on his shoulders. His book bag sat at his feet, his arms crossed and his fingers drumming against his elbows. Luke called out his name, and the other boy looked up, his emerald eyes seeking out the running teen.

"About time," Asch said, pushing off the wall as Luke skid to a stop in front of him.

"S…Sorry…" Luke panted, trying to catch his breath. "I… forgot something…" Asch rolled his eyes.

"You didn't have to kill yourself getting down here." The lighter red-haired boy pushed his bangs back, only to have them fall back over his forehead stubbornly.

"I didn't wanna keep you waiting." The other green-eyed teen shrugged and bent down, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"It's fine. Let's just go." Nodding, Luke followed Asch through the office doors and the two headed outside. Once out there though, Luke froze. _Oh no… _Asch, realizing Luke was no longer next to him, paused in his steps and turned to eye the unmoving redhead. "What are you doing?" In response to the question, Luke raised his hand and pointed a finger at the sky. Asch arched an eyebrow. "It's just raining."

"I hate rain!" Luke yelled petulantly, ducking his head with a blush. God, he was an idiot.

"You're an idiot." _Thanks, Asch. _"It won't kill you." Luke took a step back, away from the asphalt of the parking lot. He knew the thin fabric of his uniform jacket wouldn't protect him at all from the downpour, and he'd be soaked within seconds, not to mention freezing cold. He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to remember if he had anything in his car he could change into or use to dry off. Then suddenly, he felt something warm on his shoulders. He opened his eyes to see Asch, who was draping something over him. He took in Asch's appearance, realizing something was off; the teen's jacket was gone. Luke quickly reached up to push the garment off his shoulders.

"No, you don't have to-"

"It's fine," Asch cut in, pushing his hands away and fitting the leather back on. "I don't get cold that often. And I like the rain." Hesitantly, Luke slid his arms into Asch's warm jacket, correctly putting the article on.

"Th-thank you…" Asch just shook his head.

Luke led him through the parking lot and over to his Ford mustang, fishing the keys out of his pocket as they walked. When they reached the vehicle, Luke unlocked it, and while Asch got into the passenger seat, Luke nosed around in the back, successfully acquiring a musky-smelling yet warm and soft red blanket. Taking his discovery with him, he slid into the driver's seat and turned to Asch. "Here, you can-" The teen's sentence abruptly trailed off when he registered the other's state. Asch was, as Luke had predicted, soaking wet from head to toe. His hair looked a shade darker, his milky skin seemed lighter, and his normally pulled back bangs fell freely over his forehead. Plus, his clothes were drenched, and he so happened to have been wearing a plain white tee underneath his jacket. And since Luke currently wore said jacket, that left the other teen in only the wet shirt…

Which also happened to be thin enough to be see-through. Luke could clearly make out the muscles outlining Asch's chest and stomach, and he felt blood rush to his face. _Whatever you do, Luke, don't stare! _he warned himself as the damp redhead turned and eyed the blanket.

"Thanks," he said casually, accepting the blanket and wrapping it around himself, readjusting his seatbelt. Luke smiled shyly at him, then turned the collar on the leather jacket up a bit higher, hoping to hide his blush and also bask in the warmth the garment provided. As he breathed in, he found that the jacket had a pleasant soapy smell to it. He vaguely wondered if Asch himself had the same scent before inserting his key into the ignition and started up the car, blasting the heat.

"Are you really that cold?" Asch asked with the raise of an eyebrow, and Luke frowned at him.

"Aren't you? You're soaked to the bone!" The other teen shook his head, but didn't comment further. Luke turned his attention to the road in front of him as he drove out of the parking lot. The two sat in silence for a while; not an awkward silence, but it wasn't comforting either. It was more like neither of them knew what to say, so they didn't speak at all. Luke glanced at the radio, currently on a station playing a commercial. When they reached the next red-light, he reached over and popped open the armrest positioned between the two seats.

"I left the cable for my phone back at my apartment, but you can put in a CD if you want." Glancing at him, Asch leaned over and rummaged through the albums. The light turned green and they continued down the road. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Asch pull a CD case out and examine the cover.

"Simple Plan?" Luke glanced quickly over at the case being held out towards him, and grinned as his eyes turn back to the road.

"They're kinda old, but I listen to them all the time. That's a mix CD actually. It has a ton of their songs on it." When the teen in the passenger's seat made no comment, Luke once again spared a quick look over at Asch to find him inserting the disc into the CD player beneath the radio. "No way." Asch looked at him. "You listen to them?" The redhead's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile, but was definitely more than his usual frown or tight-lipped line.

"Every chance I get." He tapped a button on the radio, and music blared through the speakers. Luke identified it as 'Jet Lag', one of his favorites.

"What's your favorite song by them?" the lighter redhead asked curiously as he turns down a new street.

"'Welcome To My Life'." Asch's reply is instant, clearly showing that he didn't need to think it over at all. Luke smiled.

"That one's in there somewhere. If you flip through you'll find it." So Asch reached forward and repeatedly pushed the 'next' button, until the familiar music and lyrics of his favorite song started blasting in the car. The two once again fell into silence, this time listening to the music playing around them. Once, Luke looked over at Asch again, and saw the redhead with his head tipped back and his eyes closed, his gorgeous crimson hair melding in with the color of the blanket around his shoulders. He looked at peace, calm and relaxed, like when Luke had seen him in the woods with the guitar. And again, he was struck with the thought that Asch really did look like an angel.

In fact, Luke thought he looked even better with his bangs down like that. His blush flared up again, and Luke sent a prayer of thanks to the heavens that Asch's emerald orbs were still closed and the other teen had no knowledge of Luke's rosy cheeks. Honestly, why couldn't he just act normal around Asch?

A while later, Luke pulled up into the driveway of his apartment. It wasn't exactly an apartment; Luke lived alone, no other families resided in the building. But it wasn't big or cozy enough to call a house. Then again, it would take a lot to beat his family's manor back in Baticul. He looked over at Asch to find that the redhead had opened his eyes and was watching him. Luke gave him a smile, taking the key out of the ignition and opening his door, stepping out. Rain continued to pour down from the sky, and Luke instinctively drew the leather guarding his body tighter around him. He checked on Asch, who had exited the car as well and hiked the blanket up over his head, his emerald eyes almost glowing beneath it. They hurried to the front door, and Luke fiddled with his keys, locating the correct one and pushing it into the lock, opening the door.

Luke hurriedly walked in and shrugged off the jacket that Asch had offered him, hanging it up on one of the empty pegs that was above the mat. He let his wet hair fall in front of his face as he turned to Asch. "A-Alright. Just wait there. I'll get you a towel….Or two." Luke drifted as he hurried away to grab the objects he was waiting for, blush still firmly planted on his face. All he could think about was Asch's muscles showing through the white T-Shirt and how good it looked to him; how manly the muscles mad Asch look.

Luke had to stop a shiver from appearing, and it wasn't because he was wet. Asch just had that sort of effect on him – and he didn't even know why! Well, scratch that, Luke knew _why…. _But he also didn't know how to stop that. Ugh. Stupid teenage crushes and how mushy it makes people.

Luke returned with two towels in his hand and handed Asch the warm, fuzzy white things. Almost immediately had Asch moved to wipe away from extra water falling from his fiery red hair. When the man was finished with rubbing his fingers around to dry his hair, the towel was removed, revealing….

The most adorable sight of his life.

Luke had to fight a gasp as he found himself giggling instead, his eyes being invaded with an immediate look of fluffiness in Asch's poofy hair. And when Asch shot him a confused look Luke had to fight off a major nose bleed because _Asch was just too adorable! _His hair was fluffed up from the towel rubbing on his hair, getting the wetness out, and now it was sticking up in so many different directions that Luke had trouble figuring out just where his hair was centered.

"What?" Asch grumbled as he moved, wiping off his arms from the downpour. "What's so funny?"

Luke simply pointed to the mirror that was hanging on the utility closet next to the closed door. Asch followed his finger and when he eventually looked at the reflection of himself, Luke saw a slight blush make way to his tanned face. "Shut up." Asch grumbled as he dropped the towel he was holding – right onto the clean towel at his feet. For a second, Luke wondered what Asch was doing, until the man let his fingers fall onto his completely soaked white T-shirt.

Luke's eyes widened dramatically as the muscles that he had been fantasizing about had not only been in view to him from under the shirt, _but now right in front of his eyes! _Stuttering, Luke turned around, his arms crossing around his chest as Asch wiped off his wet skin. After a second or so, Luke stepped forward into the house. "A-Ah, I'll go find you a change of clothes!" Luke stuttered again, rushing off to god knows where as Asch sent a confused glance his way. A shrug ensued and Asch continued to dry off as the fading figure ran from him.

Luke had a hard time settling his heart rate as he made way for his bedroom, a blush still overtaking his face and his thoughts still racing at a thousand light years per second. _What was Asch thinking, taking his clothes off in front of me like that? _Luke groaned as he opened the door to his expensive bedroom. "Oh god…." Luke groaned as he glanced down at the slight tent in his pants. _Oh no…._Luke thought as he stared down at himself in horror. _Not now…._

Luke's thoughts wandered to the man outside by his door. He could practically feel those emerald eyes staring into his soul at this very moment, that perfect chest also making its stand in front of his empty gaze. Without another thought Luke spun around and locked his bedroom door, his breath low and labored as the sound made a melodious 'click' of safety. Almost instantly Luke had dropped his pants and plopped onto his California King bed, eyes shut and body tender.

From the outside, Asch was getting impatient. What was taking that idiot so long? All it was was a pair of clothes. The red-head had finished drying himself off a while ago and now he was leaning against a wall, waiting for the timid teen to pop back up with his change of clothing. He was waiting as patiently as he could but Asch was never known to be patient, and not two minutes later had Asch had enough. He leaned off of the wall and with an angry furrowed eyebrow, made way in the same direction he had watched Luke retreat too.

While he was walking Asch had noted that everything looked extremely fancy and expensive, and he was unused to seeing so much white and tans and stuff that looked….Well, it looked professional. Luke didn't strike Asch as one to be neat or organized like this, but then again, he also didn't know what he thought about the burnt-orange haired kid. As he moved on and eventually made his way upstairs, his ears were immediately invaded with something that he couldn't describe.

The sounds couldn't be coming from anything other than Luke, so Asch continued to follow the sounds towards the door that was holding some of the loudness in. And as Asch stopped in front of it, he pressed his ear up against the door. "A-Ahn….Asch….Asch….Oh, god…." Luke had panted from the other side. "Please, Asch, I-I….Oh, god…." Came muttered groans and moans and as Asch came to realization with what Luke was probably doing from the outside, he backed away and stared at the door a little bit.

_Was that….Was that….What I thought it was? _Asch thought to himself as he felt his fingers twitch. And as he, too, glanced down, he realized that that slight indentation in his pants really, really, really _shouldn't be there. _

"Nyah! Asch!" Asch heard Luke shout from inside of his bedroom and the red-heads eyes widened as he heard a final groan ensue from the attractive teen's lips, just before everything had turned silent. He had stared in the door in shock for what seemed like forever, only hearing the sound of rustling things and miscellaneous objects being moved around and feet padding against the floor. Now, what he should've done was rush back downstairs and stood exactly where he was beforehand, but of course, his body didn't want to move.

So he stared. Asch stared at the mahogany door, still too shocked to think of exactly what he had heard moments ago.

However, what he wasn't expecting was a door to open right where his blank gaze was pointed at. The only thing that snapped him out of his stupor was a panicked squeak that dwindled past Asch's hearing range, making the red-haired, shirtless teen come back to life in front of the boy who had just masturbated in his own room to said red-head.

Green eyes met green eyes. Blush met blush. Stare met stare. Shock met shock.

"Oh my god, Asch?!"

Oh, yeah. He really should have gone back down stairs.


	4. Friends Do It Too

So here's a quick update in apology for how late the last one was xD also because the next chapter may not be out for a while, since Kota just had surgery and all D: so we'll have to just kinda roll with how her knee decides to feel xD Nonetheless, enjoy!

**NOTE: THIS CHAPTER ORIGINLLY CONTAINED M-RATED CONTENT. IF YOU WISH TO READ THE SMUT VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE GO TO _Hollowshirosaki413_'s VERSION OF IT (story is listed under same title, Hollowhsirosaki413 can also be found in my Favorite Author's list). IF YOU WISH TO READ THE PG VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER, CONTINUE ON.**

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Chapter 4

_Friends Do It Too_

Luke stared at the darker red-haired teen in pure horror, his heartbeat racing to what was probably not a healthy rate and his lungs not working. Oxygen caught in his airway; he couldn't speak, which was just as well since he had no idea what the hell he was supposed to say. His face was on fire; he could feel his cheeks, neck, and ears all burning bright red. The only comfort he found in the situation was that Asch's face had darkened to a pink hue as well, so he wasn't alone in that regard.

And then, as if the situation couldn't have gotten any worse, Luke found himself trailing his vision down Asch's body, once again taking in his toned chest and stomach, seeing as the teen was still shirtless and all. When he realized what he was doing, he snapped his eyes back to Asch's, then did the only thing he could think to do.

He slammed the door shut.

Luke stuffed his knuckle into his mouth and knelt down, letting out a muffled scream. _God dammit! _He leaned back so he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, burying his face in his hands and mumbling under his breath. Slowly and quietly, the door in front of him opened. Luke bit his lip so hard, the metallic taste of blood touched his taste buds. It was silent for a few heartbeats, then:

"It's okay." Luke blinked his eyes opened and lifted his head to peek up at Asch.

"…Huh?"

"I said it's okay." Asch stepped the rest of the way in and stood before Luke, staring down at him. He didn't seem angry or disgusted or even embarrassed, besides the color in his cheeks. But how could he possibly be any inkling of okay with this?!

"But you… I…"

"Come on, Luke. You think I've never jacked off before? We're teenagers; it's just hormones and all that." Luke blinked again. What was he talking about?

Unless… Unless Asch hadn't heard Luke scream his name? He had thought he'd been pretty loud, but maybe it had been muffled through the door. And there was no real way to tell when exactly Asch had shown up at the door. Maybe he hadn't heard it.

_Dear sweet Yulia, thank you for saving me, Asch._

"I… didn't mean to…" Luke finally stammered lamely. The other teen shook his head.

"I told you it was fine, idiot." He sighed, extending a hand. Luke took it and got to his feet. "Look, you just take a few minutes to calm down. Do you mind if I took a shower while you did that? I'm fucking freezing." Luke shoved any and all mental images of a nude Asch out of his mind before they even got the chance to take root and embarrass him further. He nodded quickly, leading Asch back down the hallway to the bathroom. He flicked on the light, illuminating the area as Asch stepped in.

"Just… help yourself to whatever's in there," Luke offered quietly. "Shampoo, body wash… whatever. Towel's behind the door." Asch hummed in acknowledgement, and Luke turned to go.

"Luke?" The redhead looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Really. It's okay." Luke gave him a shy smile and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him and trying his best not to shiver. He'd never gotten so turned on by someone saying his name.

~oOo~

Back in the bathroom, Asch harshly rubbed at his eyes, growling under his breath. God, that had been _way too hard_. It had taken every drop of his self-control not to touch Luke back there; whether it be kissing him senseless or beating the crap out of him. Sometimes his composure amazed even him. But whatever. Luke, being the oblivious idiot he was, hadn't detected Asch's little problem – which he came so close to seeing, the way he swept his eyes down his chest like he had. Thankfully, the lighter redhead had been too caught up in his own embarrassment to really pay attention. Asch would never in a million years consider himself religious, but he mentally sent prayers of thanks to every God or Goddess he could think of.

He reached over and turned on the faucet, clicking on the showerhead. Letting the water heat up, he peeled off his pants, the tent in his boxers now more noticeable. Asch sighed in frustration. He could very well just take a cold shower to get rid of it, but that could take a while. A long while longer than it would to just get rid of it himself. He dragged the article of clothing down his legs, then drew back the curtain and stepped in.

Asch braced himself against the wall of the shower, spreading his legs best he could – and thankfully, Luke's bathtub was a bit wider than normal, making such an action easier. He actually had to remember the fact that Luke had done the same thing to push the thought of how wrong this was out of his mind. Luke…

He thought back to the redhead's noises he'd heard; the moans and shouts of his name. He pictured what Luke might have looked like, touching himself like he had.

Asch barely noticed when his hand slid downwards.

After he'd taken care of himself, Asch slid down to a sitting position, holding his hand under the spray and washing his release off and down the drain. _God, I can't believe I just did that… _Asch scrubbed at his eyes, telling himself to calm down. At least he had been discreet about it; he hadn't been shouting Luke's name to the heavens or anything, though he couldn't exactly tell how loud he was being otherwise. Hopefully not loud enough for Luke to hear across the apartment with the shower running. He didn't want Luke to think anything was going to come of this. Because nothing was. This meant absolutely nothing. All it was was two hormonal teenagers taking care of personal business and just so happening to do it with the other a hallway away.

…Okay, so that sounded kinda dumb. But it wasn't like Asch _liked _that idiot. He was, after all, a random, somewhat creepy new kid who hadn't left him alone at all the past few days and watched him in the woods with those big, bright, beautiful eyes of his hiding beneath his shiny golden red hair with that adorable blush on his face…

But still. That meant nothing. It wasn't like Asch would fall for a stranger like that. Hell, it wasn't like Asch to fall for anyone. He hadn't been in any relationship with anyone since he was ten, and that was just some stupid childhood crush that meant absolutely nothing to him now. He just wasn't a relationship type of guy.

Asch forcefully shook his head, ridding his mind of that train of thought. He had to pull himself together. He had to go out there and act calm and level-headed and not let Luke know he'd just masturbated to what he'd heard him do while in his shower.

Why did Asch always have to put himself into such impossible situations?

~oOo~

As the school bell rang throughout the soon-to-be-crowded halls of Seventh Fonon High, Luke sped out of the Science classroom and dashed the few yards to his locker. Cursing how close his storage area was to that damn class for the umpteenth time, the redhead fumbled quickly with the padlock and miraculously got it open, swinging the door out and ducking behind it, out of sight. Taking deep breaths, he counted to thirty in his head, then cautiously peeked out from behind the metal door. He could just barely make out a redheaded figure moving out of sight among the dozens upon dozens of students. Luke heaved a sigh of relief and collapsed against the obsidian-colored metal. He stayed still for a few beats, then straightened his spine again and turned to deposit his books.

It had only been a few days since the incident at Luke's apartment, and ever since, Luke had been avoiding the other redhead like the plague. Despite Asch's assurances of not caring, he just couldn't take it! Every time he saw Asch, his mind ran back through his fantasy; his smooth, cool hands and his soft, silky hair and those gorgeous– _No no no! _He couldn't think about that! Otherwise he'd be wrapped up in the same problem all over again… which had already happened. Thrice. _Fuck._

The rest of that day at his apartment was the most awkward moment of Luke's seventeen years of life. They didn't make any small talk; Luke lit dust on fire, relayed the color, and Asch looked it up and marked it down. The rest of the project was done in thirty minutes, and Asch gathered up whatever supplies he'd brought, stuffed them in his bag, and left without so much as a goodbye. He just walked out the door and disappeared. And all Luke wanted to do was reach out and say 'don't go', but he bit his tongue. There was no point in embarrassing himself further. He'd spent the rest of the night locked in his room, banging his forehead against his knees and resenting how hard he'd ended up falling for the crimson-haired teen.

The mix CD Asch had put into the radio in his car was still in there, Simple Plan once again blaring in the vehicle. Luke barely paid any attention to the music until 'Welcome To My Life' happened to come on. Immediately, Asch invaded his thoughts, and Luke was so overwhelmed that he had to pull over until his mind was clear enough to drive without the risk of getting himself killed. He was late for first hour that day.

Now, almost three days later, Luke drove to school in dead silence and still couldn't manage to so much as glimpse Asch without remembering his screw-up. Or, maybe it had gotten better; he didn't exactly stick around waiting to find Asch and test the theory. Each day, he purposely hung around in the hallway or hid in the bathroom until the bell signaling third period was less than a minute away from ringing before entering his Science class. And when the period was over, he shot like a rocket out the door and around the corner to his locker, where he proceeded to hide until he was sure Asch was gone.

Yeah, he was being a pansy, and he knew it. But he just couldn't do it, not yet.

"Hey, Luke!" At the sudden call of his name, Luke jumped and fell against the opening to his locker, scraping his arm on the edge. He hissed, gripping the minor injury and turning around.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Geez man, are you okay?" Guy asked, prying the redhead's hand away and examining the damage. "What's up with you? You've been so jumpy lately." Luke chuckled weakly, batting the blonde's hand away.

"Sorry. Just uh… stressed out a bit. Family problems," Luke lied, pushing a textbook back into his locker before closing the door and setting the padlock. "But I'm fine. What's up?"

"Weeeeeeeell…" Luke eyed his friend wearily, wondering what that crazy mind of his was cooking up. Guy grinned goofily at him and looped his arm through the younger's, dragging him down the hall towards the cafeteria. "You see, I'm having a party."

"A party?"

"A birthday party."

"For who?"

"Santa Claus. Me, who else?"

"I thought you said- or well, I mean, it seems…" The light red-haired teen stumbled over his words, trying to think of how to say what he was thinking without offending the other teen, who was staring at him with an eyebrow raised. "Guy, you're… not exactly… you know, popular." To his surprise, Guy laughed.

"Oh, that's what you were getting at? Believe me, I know that, and I couldn't give two shits." He reached into his pocket and unfolded the piece of paper he pulled out. "We're saying that party is for Sync and Ion. That way people will actually wanna show up, and odds are we'll get drunk enough to think it's really mine anyway."

"Do you know how horrible that sounds?" Luke scolded as the two walked into the cafeteria. Guy untangles his arm from the other's as they stepped into the line to wait to get their food. "You're using your friends." The blond shrugged.

"Eh, kinda sorta. But those two are people people. They were the obvious choice."

"People people?"

"Yeah. Everybody loves 'em. Well, Ion at least. He's a hit with the ladies." The redhead looked at his best friend, eyebrow raised again in amusement.

"I take it Sync is…?"

"Yep. Ion plays for both sides of the fence, but Sync's about as straight as a circle." The two finally made it into the lunchroom, and Guy dropped his voice as they grabbed their trays. "We're hanging up posters on the walls by the bathrooms; their name, my place, Saturday. You should come."

"Why, so you can have one friend who actually came for you?" Luke shot back teasingly, and Guy grinned.

"You said so yourself, you're stressed out. Just swing by, let loose, have some fun. Partying is relaxing." Now it was Luke's turn to grin and snicker.

"Sure Guy, whatever you say."

~oOo~

After sixth period ended and Luke had packed up all his necessary textbooks and folders, he headed over to the bathroom. Sure enough, just like Guy had said, bright orange papers were taped up and down the walls of the hallway, boldly spreading word of the party that weekend. Luke smiled and shook his head. He'd picked a really weird group of friends. He went along with his business, and when he washed his hands, he realized he'd mysteriously acquired a cut – probably a paper cut from Art that day – on the inside of his thumb. Frowning, he thumbed the incision gently, wincing at the slight burn as more soap seeped into it. Shrugging, he finished rinsing and scrubbed some water over the scratch, then tore off a piece of paper towel to pat it dry. While doing that, he – for whatever reason – looked up and into the mirror, having been staring intently down at his hands previously. When he gazed into the glass though, he realized he was seeing two of his reflections.

Then he realized that the second reflection wasn't his. Eyes widening, Luke whirled around and faced Asch, who was staring at him with his usual staid expression.

"A-Asch!"

"Being creeped on isn't so fun, is it?" the darker red-haired teen asked, pushing off the wall he was leaning against and stepping closer to Luke. The other teen shrank back, knowing that a pink flush was dusted across his cheeks. Asch shook his head. "Why are you suddenly so afraid of me?"

"I-I'm not afraid of you…" Luke mumbled quietly, ducking his head. He heard the other teen click his tongue. Then he heard footsteps, and knew Asch was directly in front of him now.

"Then why have you been avoiding me?" Carefully, the shy boy flicked his eyes upwards, gazing at Asch's face through the fiery red strands of his bangs.

"I…I haven't been-"

"Bullshit," Asch cut in with a snarl, moving his hand to Luke's chin and forcing his head up. Their emerald green gazes met, and instantly Luke's face started to burn. "I'm not an idiot, and I'm not blind. It's completely obvious what you're doing." The lighter redhead didn't say anything, instead settling for biting his lip. Asch's eyes narrowed as his hand fell back to his side. "Is this still about the whole jacking off thing-"

"Sh-shut up!" Luke hissed quickly, shoving lightly at the other teen. "Don't say that so loudly!" Asch scoffed.

"That is what this is about, isn't it?"

"I-It is not!" Luke sputtered indignantly.

"Then what is it, Luke?" Said redhead tensed up, trying to suppress the urge to shiver. God, the name thing…

Knowing Asch wouldn't leave without an answer and wanting nothing but to get home, Luke sighed in defeat. "I don't know, okay? I just… don't know how to act in front of you anymore." He squeezed his emerald orbs shut, turning his face away. Asch didn't say anything, but Luke could hear him drumming his fingers against his elbows, like he had those few days ago. It must've been a habit he had.

"Then you just have to learn to be normal around me again." Blinking his eyes open in confusion, Luke stared at the other redhead.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"How do you plan on doing that?" In response, Asch jerked his head in the direction of the entryway. Looking over, Luke noticed the familiar orange flyer taped to the wall. Guy's party.

"Go with me." Luke's eyes darted back to Asch's.

"Are you serious?"

"Come with me to the party, and if you still feel weird around me after that, then fine."

Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing. Asch was really asking him to go to a party _with him_. All things considered, Asch had just asked him out! But…

"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why do you care if I avoid you or not? I thought you didn't like me being around you all the time." Asch shrugged.

"Why does it matter?" he retorted. "So will you go?"

"…Yeah," Luke answered with a small smile. "I'd like that." The other teen nodded.

"Then we're done here. I'll see you Saturday." Asch turned and started out of the bathroom.

"Um… hey, Asch?" The darker redhead looked at him over his shoulder. "Do you… think it'd be okay if I asked for your phone number? I mean, just so-"

"No," Asch cut in instantly. "I'll just meet you there. Don't worry about it." And with that, Asch disappeared, leaving a stunned, flustered Luke in his wake.

~oOo~

Ever since the 'incident', Luke couldn't drive with music playing because every stupid song he heard, his mind somehow twisted to a whole new meaning that somehow revolved around Asch. He'd settled for just muting the radio altogether and going about his way in silence. But that Saturday night, as he drove down the country roads to Guy's mansion, he risked it, and carefully inched the volume up. When he heard the song playing, 'I Love It', a grin spread across his face and he cranked it up higher. Instead of his redheaded obsession, images of parties and pools and people laughing filled his mind, and he found that he was actually pretty excited for the night to come. Guy was right; he needed to just let loose and relax for a while. Not to mention he had scored another second chance with Asch. And this time, he was going to prove that he could handle a friendship with him. Because in spite of everything, Luke still wanted the crimson-haired teen in his life. He had gone up to him that first day with the intention of making friends, and Luke fon Fabre did not leave any challenge uncompleted.

Even if he did hide from it for a while. And the challenge had to come back and threaten him. And the challenge had caught him jacking off to it. But still.

He turned his car down a new road, and thanks to his headlights, he caught sight of a figure walking along the curb ahead of him. Quirking an eyebrow in confusion, he turned the radio down and slowed the white vehicle, rolling down the passenger side window as he drove closer. And as he drove closer, he found that the figure had long, crimson red hair that shone when it caught the beam of the headlights.

"Asch?" he called, as his car eased to a stop. He watched the other teen tense up and turn his head to face him. Asch was wearing his typical black attire; black shirt, black jeans, a black studded belt, black boots with shining silver buckles, and his leather jacket. Ironically, Luke had dressed almost the same, except he was wearing a white shirt and his boots had laces instead of buckles. Nonetheless, he mentally admitted how nice Asch looked dressed up in silver and black, before shaking his head and focusing back on said redhead. "What are you doing out here?"

Asch crossed his arms and looked away, not meeting Luke's gaze. Luke leaned himself closer to the window, narrowing his eyes in wonder. "You didn't walk all this way, did you?"

"No, I flew," Asch said sarcastically, glaring at Luke in annoyance. When the other didn't speak, he sighed. "I don't live far, and it's a nice night. Figured I'd save gas and all that." Luke frowned, then clicked the lock open on the car doors.

"Get in."

"What?"

"You're barely halfway there, Asch. You are not walking that distance!"

"I don't need you to mother-hen me!"

"Asch, please. Just come on. We're going to the party together anyway, right?" When the teen outside still showed hesitance, Luke reached forward and turned on the CD player, switching it to the track he now had memorized. Asch's favorite Simple Plan song began to play, and he knew he'd caught his attention. Finally, grumbling under his breath, Asch yanked open the passenger side door and stepped into the car.

"You're so annoying…" he muttered, strapping himself in. Luke just smiled at him and continued on down the road. They sat in silence for a while, Asch staring out the window, until finally he said: "So what's up with you and Guy?" Luke raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you guys earlier today holding hands." Luke was so startled by the redhead's words that he lost his grip on the steering wheel. The car swerved sharply to the left, but the teen driving managed to straighten it out before any damage was caused.

"We weren't holding hands!" Luke protested. "He just linked arms with me; he does that!"

"Calm down, I was just saying that's what it looked like." The lighter red-haired boy exhaled shakily.

"Guy and I aren't together, if that's what you're implying. He's just a friend."

"Okay."

"I'm serious!"

"I believe you." Luke blew out another breath, sending his bangs fluttering askew across his vision. He half-heartedly reached to push it away, even though he knew the fiery red strands would just flop forward again. He glanced quickly over at Asch out of the corner of his eye, wondering how he managed to keep his hair pulled back like that. He thought back to that day again, when Asch had gotten soaked in that rainstorm, and his bangs had fallen forward. How adorable he had looked when he dried his hair and made it fluff out. A smile tugged at Luke's mouth as he pulled up to the curb in front of the gates to the Cecil mansion. Several groups of people littered the front yard, and Luke could tell that Guy and Sync's plan had succeeded. The place was, no doubt, packed.

Luke shut off the engine and extracted his keys from the ignition, slipping them into his pocket and turning to Asch with his characteristic bright smile. "Ready?" Asch nodded and opened his door, Luke copying the action with his own. As Luke walked around to join Asch on the sidewalk, the crimson-haired teen jerked his head back to the mustang.

"You may want to lock that." Realizing Asch was probably right, he stuffed his hand in his pocket and hit the lock button on his keys, listening for the click of the lock. That task complete, Luke turned back to Asch and – feeling particularly bold, for whatever reason – linked their arms together. When Asch glanced at him curiously, Luke grinned at him.

"Friends do it too, Asch." The other teen shrugged, not putting up any signs of protest or resistance, and together the two started up the driveway. The whole time, Luke mentally kicked himself for how suggestive that last comment had sounded.


	5. A Drunken Mess

I think it's bad how often I update this story compared to my main project xD but ah well, shit happens! This chapter was mostly on Kota anyway, because if I had attempted it bad things would have happened... But I took most of four so hey, it works :D

Enjoy!

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Chapter 5

_A Drunken Mess_

As Luke and his counterpart entered the door to the party, the first thing the smaller red-head noticed was how loud it was. Dubstep blared through the speakers so loud the two thought that at any moment the loud appliances would spontaneously combust – however, they were proved wrong when the music just continued to play. From the outside, surprisingly, nothing was heard, but as soon as they set foot in the loud home every beat was piercing their eardrums a lot louder than it should.

Luke's arms slightly tightened around Asch's as they thrum past of the people that were crowded around the door, ignoring some of the shocked looks from some of the popular assholes that were invited. Asch kept to his side as he weaved throughout the people, left and right, front and back, side to side in the jam-packed mansion of a home. A small smile graced Luke's lips as he found a familiar bout of blonde hair poking out from the crowd that was moving their way.

"Luke! Hey, Luke! Over here, buddy!" Guy shouted over the music as he waved his hands around the people, managing to smack a few in the face. He promptly apologized to them before continuing to push forth.

Luke laughed and pulled Asch forward. "Hey, Guy!Happy Birthday." The happy red-head smiled at his friend, calmly noting that Guy's eyes widened slightly at the person who was standing next to him.

"A-Asch." Guy blinked once, his slightly buzzed eyes becoming wide with shock. The blonde was not one to be rude, however, and ended up smiling brightly and giving the taller male a suggestive look. "Awe, have ya taken poor Lukie-boos heart already – before I had a chance?"

Asch, not one to really speak, only let out a snort and turned his head to the side, frown marred in place. Although, Luke was quick to reply, a blush promptly making its way on his angled features. "G-Guy!" Luke reprimanded the other. He had to suppress a frown when he felt Asch's arm uncurl from his own, but he knew it would only embarrass himself if he chose to reach out once again to the strong, muscled arm he was holding on to. "It's not like that." Luke pouted pathetically.

Guy only chuckled at his friend's pouty gaze and lifted his glass, his eyes twinkling with a mischief that Luke really did not want to delve in to. Though, before he could even question the stare, Luke felt his arm being tugged in the opposite direction from which his crush was standing.

"So, how about a drink?"

~oOo~

"Heyyyyyyy, Guy! Wha's dis stuff? It tastes really guud." Luke called out to his blonde friend, eyes wide in a drunken mess as he stared at the drink like it was the most peculiar thing in the world. Guy chuckled from his slightly less drunkenness and simply grinned, knowing that his plan was finally being put into action.

"A Blue Motherfucker, Lukie. It tastes amazing, doesn't it?" Guy purred softly as he shifted away from his friend who had stopped staring at the drink, now chugging it down. The blonde's mind reeled at the amount of alcohol he had induced, but the sheer knowledge of knowing he wasn't a lightweight drinker – unlike Luke – made him feel a little bit more comfortable in his skin. Bassnectar's "Time Stretch" was blasting through the speakers so loud he was almost unable to tell what Luke muttered next.

"Mmn, divine." Luke groaned and shifted, his bangs falling into his face a little bit more than normal. The red-head moved around so that he was now spread eagle all over the couch, leaving little room for Guy to sit at all. But the blonde didn't really care; he was, after all, about to get up and get some match-making going on. "Gimme some more."

_Ah, his cue._

Guy jumped up a little bit more happily than he should've, a grin crawling its way up onto his slightly flushed face. "Alright! Be back in a sec!" Guy bounded off, leaving the drunken Luke groaning with a half-empty drink in the corner of the room. Humming, the bright teen settled for a quick jog as he let his eyes scan the area around him, trying to find that familiar shock of terrifying red once more.

Doing a three-sixty around the party, Guy simply blessed the fact he was slightly taller than the average person here. His bright, sky blue eyes shifted around with every person still dancing up a storm, hoping that Asch wasn't too far away from him. Hell, he might've even gotten lost in his own home saving his little knick-knack landmarks that were around.

His hum quieted down as his eyes zeroed on the same man that gave Guy's little Lukie an infatuation. _Bingo, _Guy thought as he started shifting through people surrounding the island bar. _Just where I need him._

"Asch!" Guy called as soon as he got close enough for the red-head to turn and stare at him. That was exactly what the form did, and, as he turned, Guy's eyes widened. His hand stopped from moving to grasp the man's shoulder and instead he retracted it, laughing nervously."A-Ah, sorry. My bad. I thought you were someone else." The kid just shrugged and turned back, his hair slightly shifting as he returned to his drink.

_Woops._

"Lookin' for me?" Guy almost jumped out of his skin as the person he had really been looking for came into view. Asch was leaning up against the very same bar as the other guy had been, except a little bit further down. He wasn'tsitting, rather, he was just leaning on the expensive wood and nursing a Screw Driver with care. He didn't look drunk in the least.

"Ah, there you are!" Guy grinned. "I have a job for you~!" He sung in his highest manly voice, jumping around to grasp Mr. Lonely by the arm. Guy alone had to suppress a shiver when he felt clad muscles shift under the jacket Asch was wearing. _God, Luke, you lucky idiot._Without waiting for Asch's reply, Guy started pulling on the arm he was grasping, leaving Asch only to be tugged along, drink spilling slightly as he was forced to follow the blonde.

"Wha'?" Asch's sort-of-accent popped up as he stared at the back of the head of the blonde he had never really spoken to. What was this guy doing, pulling him around like this?

"You'll see." Guy giggled as he, once again, did fancy moves to weave throughout the people, wandering back to where Luke rest on the couch. People were shoved, and, yeah, some turned to cuss the two out in their shit-faced worlds, but they weren't drunk enough as to cuss out the infamous Asch. Said Asch didn't really notice, but Guy was so fucking glad that Asch was the one he was pulling – or he would have been in some deep shit.

"Lukie!" Guy called out as soon as the couch came into view. Much like the time when Luke and Asch had arrived, Guy waved around a hand to show he was coming. Lukesay up slightly and blinked, his now empty drink sitting on the table.

"Ah, Guy! Do ya 'aaave my drink?" Luke grumbled as he stood shakily. Guy and Asch stopped in front of the stumbling drunkard. "Woopie!" The smaller red-head laughed as he landed face first into the beating chest of the loner himself. Asch had to hold out his arms to hold Luke so the two of them wouldn't tumble to the floor.

Luke glanced up at the red-head and as their gazes met, Luke giggled. "Your eyes…They so purrdy." Luke hummed as he pulled his head only slightly away from the chest he caved in, his arms moving up so he could rest his palms against warm, tanned cheeks. His thumb brushed up against the skin right under Asch's eyes, mesmerized by the sparkliness held within a pair of emerald orbs.

Asch glanced over at a gradually retreating Guy. "You tugged me all the way over here to take care of him?" Asch mumbled grudgingly, his eyes narrowing. His arms had not moved from holding Luke up – just for the fact he was almost positive Luke would tip over otherwise.

"Nooooooo." Guy grinned. "You'll see." And with that, like a snap of fingers, Guy had totally disappeared.

"Urgh." Asch groaned out as he was left alone with thedrunk kid. "Will you stop doing that?!" He called as he felt Luke's warm thumbs brush against the bottoms of his eyes once more. Luke, from below him, only giggled.

"Mmn….Nope!" Luke smiled as he straightened up, pulling himself away regardless of what he said. Instead, he moved to plop back on the couch, pulling Asch with him. Both red-heads fell onto the plush appliance with a grunt.

"Damn dreck." Asch mumbled, taking a sip of his drink as Luke hummed from the side of him. He let his eyes close as he fought the oncoming headache that was making its way to his frontal lobe. _Stupid adorable piece of red-haired drunken something or another. Why the hell did Guy bring me to this? Can't he take care of him himself? _Asch complained inside of his head as Luke gradually scooted closer and closer to him. _I can practically feel his breath against my neck, that stupid fucker._

"Hey, Asch, let's go dance!" Luke shouted suddenly as he shot up from his place in the seat, his hand already grasping for the same spot Guy's hand had been.

_God, keep this up and there will be a bruise there tomorrow._

Before the built teen had time to reply, Luke dragged the less-than-fortunate-totally-not-drunk teen towards the center where everyone was dancing. It's not like Asch had time to rudely decline before a back and an ass was pressed against his front, forcing his eyes to almost bug out of his head. _Oh god, what was Luke thinking?! _Asch screamed at the top of his lungs inside of his head as he felt a well-sculpted behind begin to shake against his nether-regions.

_Born from the center of the storm,_

_All these boys flappin' gums 'bout how they're hard,_

_Bitch I'm harder!_

_Martyr to the swag on the corner,_

_Beat your girl with the drums,_

_As the bass makes that bitch cum!_

Asch hissed as he was forced to move along with the raunchy touches Luke was giving to him in his drunken mess, his body shifted as if he was run by sheer instinct. His large, tanned fingers wrapped around Luke's waist before he really had time to think about it and seconds later, he was grinding back against the ass that was dancing to the drops of Skrillex's "Kyoto." Luke on the other hand, through his slightly sweaty head back against the larger man's shoulder and hummed, his eyes rolling shut.

_Luke was so plastered._

Luke shook his hips from left to right expertly, letting the music flow through his alcohol-infested veins as he danced to the bass. His mind was rolling haywire with the jumbled thoughts inside of his head; but figuring he was thinking too much, he let all the clear thoughts shove their selves into the very back corners of his mind, instead letting his rationality run free and kept his body move against the body that molded against his.

"Luke, what're you doing?" Asch finally grumbled as he buried his face in the soft locks of Luke, inhaling the wonderful, vanilla-like scent that was emitting from a mass of flames. Luke tilted his head back and giggled once more, letting his ass shake with the end of the song he was dancing to.

"Dancing, silly. What does it look like?" Luke replied almost instantly. _What am I doing? _He thought inside of his head for a moment, before whisking that thought away. It didn't really matter, anyway.

Asch grumbled again as he moved away from the dancing teen, backing up enough to where Luke had to stop dancing. Confused, the smaller teen turned and gave Asch a blank stare. "What are you doooing?" Luke murmured as he saw the boy back up.

Asch shook his head and stayed silent as, instead, he turned around and began to rush away from the teen he was almost dry-humping. His steps were quick-paced and hurried as he shifted through laughing couples and friends and random people, keeping the physical contact as short and as less as possible as he fought to get away from Luke._He was drunk. Luke was drunk. He wouldn't do this if he were sober. _Asch's sensible side thought rapidly.

And yet, another inside voice spoke up.

_So? You know ya wanna! Just give in! You know he thinks your attractive! Why else would he jack off to you?_

_I don't get close to anyone. Why would I want to get close to him?_

_Uh, duh? Because he's been trying to get close to you for like, forever?_

_Shut up, voice! Just leave it! Luke will leave sometime!_

_No he won't. You know this already._

_…Shut up._

Meanwhile, while the silent conversation within his head was growing to an end, Luke was trying to catch up to the teen who was storming off. "Asch! Wait, Asch! Hey!" Luke called after his crush, his drunken stupor making him tumble a few times in the process of following him. Asch didn't turn and instead he kept on walking away from the burnt-orange haired teen, hoping to get away just in time so he wouldn't have to listen to anymore of the whining.

As Asch stomped away and Luke followed, they began to grasp more room away from everyone else and begin to find more seclusion. Only a slightly thrum of music and rumbling under their feet was shown, no voices were heard other than Luke's, and people were gradually falling out of sight. Luke picked up his pace as he fought to grab on to the bigger teen. After a couple more seconds of walking, however, Luke caught his foot on the rug they were walking on and he stumbled forward, his hand reaching out for something to steady him.

However, only a body was in the way to stop him from falling. His small body was caught only for the fact that his hand wrapped onto the back of Asch's jacket, leaving him almost bend over in half and making Asch stop from his walking. With a deep breath and a wave of nausea, Luke glanced up from the stupid stare he was giving the carpet back onto his crushes back, watching as a few strands of long hair clenched in his fingers. "A-Asch..." Luke mumbled as he glance away, righting himself. He refused to release his hold on the jacket, though, even when Asch tried to tug away from him.

"Lemme go." Asch growled as he tried to take a step forward. Luke, using all the strength he had, held the other back.

"No!" Luke cried as he tugged on Asch once more. He felt another grumble pass Asch's body.

"I said, lemme go, dreck." Asch tried again, once more trying to get away from the smaller hold.

"Stop it!" Luke said instead of directly replying, his gaze dropping to the floor of the hallway. He stared at the plush white carpet as he felt his mouth move before his mind. "Just stop, alreeeady!" Luke shouted again, his fingers clenching tighter onto the material he was holding. "Can't you see, you idiot!?" Luke called as he brought his other hand up to hit the taller red-head in the direct line of his spine.

"See what, dreck?!" Asch growled from the front, his own mind reeling at a million miles per second. _Luke wasdrunk, he doesn't know what he's doing. He's drunk, Asch, drunk. Don't you dare take advantage of him. _"A piss drunk idiot trying to literally have sex with me on the dance floor?!" The fact that it was a really big living room and not a dance floor was past his head, really, as he found himself snarling in frustration. Would that idiot just let him go?

"Maybe I want to!" Luke finally shouted. "Yoooour the idiot!" Luke cried out as he retracted his hand from the leather now, as if it burned him. He stumbled back a little bit. "Go ahead! Push me away again, you stupid, stupid, stupid idiot! Because I don' t care! I mean, c'mooon –…." Luke hiccupped as he felt the beginning of tears start to stream down his face. " – I wish I hated you! I wish I could! Yoooou stupid, idiotic, un-cute – I don't even know!" Luke's fingers curled in a ball and stiffened down as his sides as he clenched his eyes shut, feeling the streaming liquid pool from his eyes.

"Well does it look like I care!?" Asch wouldn't turn around. "God, I'm not your damned mother hen or something! I –…." He was cut off from a desperate cry from the being behind him.

" – I love you, you piece of shit!" Luke finally screamed as he lifted one hand to wipe away the tears. " – That's all I wanted you to know!" Luke finally cried out before he turned heel, running in the opposite direction from which Asch was standing. He wouldn't stop for anything, and this time, the drunkenness didn't get in his way from running, he just had to get as far away from Asch as possible before he felt his heart break even more.

And he needed to find Guy before he fell apart completely.

* * *

**If you read Hollowshirosaki413 (Kota's) version of this story, she says she likes Asch better than Luke. I think she's high xD I love my Lukie-boo! Yeah, that's where that nickname originated from :D**

**Review? **


	6. Secrets Revealed

Aaaaaaaaand we're back! :D man, this story is just flying right now xD Kota and I are having a blast writing it, so I hope you guys are enjoying it too! Don't know when the next update'll be though, because Kota's got softball and other stuff going on, I have band camp starting next week, and in two weeks we're off to high school...and neither of us wanna go Dx but hey, maybe we'll get inspiration for our highschool fic! :D

Without further ado, the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6

_Secrets Revealed_

Stumbling back into the main room where the hundreds of other guests were still dancing and grinding away, Luke attempted to peer through the crowd and locate his blond friend. But he couldn't see through the mass of moving bodies. He tried standing up on one of the couches for a better view, but as soon as he put his foot up, his vision swam and he felt everything start spinning. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep his balance on an unsteady surface such as the couch cushion.

His fight with Asch had cleared his head a little, and Luke knew he had drank maybe a bit too much. He couldn't think straight, but he knew he couldn't drive himself home. That would be suicide; he wouldn't make it down the block. He just had to find Guy. His friend would know what to do. He would help him.

Unlike a certain redhead he knew. Luke quickly shook his head. No, he wouldn't think about Asch. He'd deal with him later; for now he just had to find Guy and maybe down another drink or two. He was already drunk, after all. How could it hurt?

Luke navigated his way through the crowd of other people, bumping into other people but not stopping to apologize. Half of them were too drunk to notice his jostling anyway. He found a break in the mob near the wall, and he slid over and once again tried to find that familiar head of golden hair. And again, his attempts were futile. Everyone looked the same. Sighing in frustration, he moved to head back into the swarm, but something wrapped around his waist from behind and pulled him back. Luke's eyes widened as he felt his back slam against the wall. He stared into the space in front of him, but the lighting was dim, and he couldn't make out who it was; just that they were a bit taller than he was.

Then he felt something cold press against his bottom lip, and he realized it was a glass. His captor tipped the drink forward, and he felt whatever liquid it held rush against his lips. Alarm bells went off in his head. _Whoa-ho-ho! What the hell?!_ The rational part of his mind came into play, telling him not to drink whatever the hell this was, push whoever this was away, and just run; telling him he'd regret this if this person was just trying to take advantage of him.

But honestly, Luke could care less about rationality.

So he separated his lips and let the drink glide into his mouth. It tasted familiar; probably something he'd had earlier that night, but he honestly couldn't remember. His captor kept the glass tipped, and Luke downed the whole thing, gulping it without care. After he'd finished, the other person pulled the empty cup away. Luke could feel his mind getting nice and floaty again, and he felt himself smile up at whoever was in front of him. He felt something warm trace down his cheek, and then something warm and wet pressed against the area right below his ear. _Oh God…_

The captor had him trapped against the wall now, so Luke couldn't get away even if he'd wanted to. But fuck it; just let it happen. The real person he wanted hated his guts anyway. What was the worst that could happen?

That in mind, Luke didn't put up any resistance when the one trapping him pressed its lips against his with a harsh vigor. He eagerly opened his mouth and allowed the other's tongue to slide in. Hands gripped at his collar and ran along his stomach, and he shivered as another warm body pressed against his. Nonetheless, the red-haired teen lifted his arms and wrapped them around the person's back. He felt something soft and silky; hair, he realized.

Asch had long hair…

And just like that, it was suddenly Asch kissing him. It was Asch lips against his, Asch's tongue in his mouth, Asch's hair twisted in his fingers. When he thought about it that way, it didn't seem as wrong. So he clung to that image, sliding his leg in between his captor's. The mystery person pushed him back against the wall though, and pressed their mouths together with a quick sudden force before pulling away. Luke gulped in breath after breath of air, staring upwards.

"W-Who…?" He was kissed again, a lot softer this time, as a signal to stay quiet. Then something latched onto his wrist and the person began to lead him away. Luke was dragged through the massive amount of grinding bodies, but his mysterious pursuer's grip on him didn't waver as they fought their way through. When they broke into a clearer area, Luke stumbled, tripping over his feet. The other person caught him by the arm, then left his hand there as he pulled him outside. Luke once again tried to identify his captor. But it was even darker outside, without the glowing multicolored lights of the party. The wind whipped across his face and he shivered. It was really cold out here compared to the intense heat inside.

They made their way down the driveway, and Luke heard the click of a lock, knowing from experience that it was the sound of a car door unlocking. _Shit. _Weakly, he tried to break free, but he couldn't do it. His mind was too foggy, his reflexes too slow. His captor grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into the car. They buckled Luke's seatbelt for him and pushed him so he was leaning back. And then Luke felt something really soft brush his cheek, and when he reached up to feel it, he recognized the scratchy-spongy material as a blanket. Another soft kiss was pressed to his cheek, and then the car door slammed. He heard the other door open and close, the clicking of a seatbelt, the jingle of keys, and then the engine roaring to life. Luke groggily turned his head to stare at the person in the driver's seat. In the dim lighting, he could make out the silhouette of their face, but no details. He wanted to try asking again, but the vehicle started to move, and the motions were lulling Luke to sleep. So he lazily rolled his head to the other side and snuggled into the blanket, closing his eyes and passing out.

~oOo~

He woke up without opening his eyes, simply regaining sense to his mind and registering the onslaught of the massive headache pulsing throughout his head. Luke groaned as he lifted a hand to rub at his aching skull. Dazedly blinking his eyes opened, he peered around at his surroundings, then frowned in confusion.

He was back at his apartment.

…What?

Carefully, he sat up, feeling a wave of nausea overcome him and swallowing it back. Something fell from his shoulders, and when he glanced down, he saw a red blanket bunched in his lap. Fingering it, he found it was pretty soft, yet had that wooly, scratchy feel to it as well. A memory reached the surface of his conscience, and his head gave another sharp throb. He clutched at his cranium, groaning again in pain.

Last night was a blur. All he really remembered was showing up with Asch. Finding Asch on the curb and Asch telling him to lock his car and Asch linking arms with him. No, he'd been the one to link arms with Asch. Yeah, and then… then Guy was there, and… and…

Luke grunted in frustration. Dammit, he couldn't remember! The redhead rubbed at his eyes, letting his fingers drag down his cheeks in exhaustion.

…Wait…

That's right! Someone had come onto him last night!

Flashbacks poured in; being pushed against the wall, downing that drink, that kiss… No, that wasn't kissing. That was more like a heated make-out session. And then whoever it was threw him into their car and… and… Luke gulped. Fuck, what the _hell _had he been _doing _last night?! And how did he end up back at home?

Luke was rubbing his forehead in pain and misery when his bedroom door opened. And in walked the last person he expected to see.

"How you feelin'?" Asch asked as he set a plate on Luke's bedside table and sat down on the bed next to him. Luke made a noise in the back of his throat.

"My head is killing me…" he muttered. Asch placed his hands on his shoulders and helped him scoot back against his pillows. He turned back to the plate he'd brought in and handed Luke a steaming cup. The smaller redhead accepted the drink, sipping it carefully. A minty flavor burst across his tongue, and he smiled at Asch gratefully. The other teen nodded, then dropped a few pills into his palm.

"Painkillers," Asch explained, and Luke popped them into his mouth and took another drink of his tea.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked finally, after the room had stopped spinning so much. Asch maneuvered himself so he too was leaning back against the plush white pillows.

"Taking care of you, obviously," he replied. "You were drunk off your ass last night." Luke groaned and let his head fall back against the headboard of his bed.

"I was that bad?"

"You were pretty bad." The lighter red-haired teen hid his face in his hands.

"Please tell me I didn't do anything I'm going to regret for the rest of my life," he pleaded. He heard Asch click his tongue in thought.

"Well," the teen began, "you were dancing." Again, Luke groaned.

"Oh God…"

"Don't worry. I found you before you did anything too stupid." He turned his head to stare at Asch, cheeks red.

"Not soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"I made out with someone last night." Asch's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Uh huh… And I don't even know who it was." Luke sighed. "God, I can't believe I did that…"

"It was a party, Luke. No one there was in their right mind." The redhead shrugged, clearly not convinced. Beside him, Asch exhaled.

"Guy brought me to take care of you last night," he said after a few moments of silence. Luke turned to look at him. "You were stumbling around all over the place, you were so plastered. Guy ended up bailing, and I stayed with you for a while. Then you said you wanted to dance, so you-"

"Oh sweet Yulia, please tell me I didn't-"

"You dragged me out onto the dance floor with you." Luke moaned into his hands.

"God, Asch, I'm sorry."

"Oh, it gets better." The smaller teen whimpered. "I got you off the… the 'dance floor' before you could do anything stupid, and, well…" Asch sighed under his breath. "You… said something."

"What'd I say?' Luke asked fearfully. Asch didn't speak right away, instead turning to take the now lukewarm cup of tea out of Luke's hands and placing it back on the plate beside him. Then he turned to lock gazes with him, and he said quietly:

"You told me you loved me last night." Luke's breathing hitched, and he froze up. No. No no no no no oh hell no! He couldn't have really said that! His mouth opened, ready to deny it, but his voice box wouldn't work. So he clamped his teeth together, turning his gaze away. "I gave you another drink, took your car keys, and brought you back here. You fell asleep on the ride home."

"…You brought me here?"

"Yeah." Luke swallowed, playing with the fraying ends of the blanket in his lap.

"…Asch, I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay. Just… forget about it, okay?" Luke tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He was starting to remember a bit more thanks to Asch's story. But Asch hadn't mentioned anything about the mystery pursuer. And Luke knew for a fact that had happened. No way had he just imagined that.

"You didn't find me with anybody?"

"No."

"But… But it really did happen! I remember it! They pushed me against the wall and made me drink this stuff and… and…"

Wait a minute…

Luke let his sentence trail off as he eyed Asch. The darker redhead stared back at him, an almost knowing look lurking in his emerald orbs. He could feel the missing pieces of the puzzle sliding into place, and his eyes widened.

"It was you," he murmured. "You were the one who kissed me last night." After a brief pause, Asch slowly nodded.

"It was." Luke squeezed his eyes shut and clawed at his head, feeling Asch place a hand on his shoulder. "I gave you that drink so you wouldn't fight me when I tried to take your keys, and-"

"You left me," the lighter red-haired teen accused, slapping the hand away. "You left me alone when we were dancing. You just walked away."

"Luke-"

"You're the one who even asked me to go to that stupid party! And as soon as I screw up you just dump me all over again! Is that it, Asch? Is it?!"

"God, you're such an idiot!" Asch slapped his hand over Luke's mouth, preventing the other boy from cutting in with any comments. "Don't you get it?! _I _was that someone you made-out with last night! I didn't have to kiss you; all I had to do was give you that drink! I kissed you because I _wanted _to! And I had to get away from you when you were dancing because you were _grinding your ass on my crotch. _I was afraid I'd lose control and jump you!" Luke blinked, shocked at the other's words. Asch let his hand fall away from his lips and sighed deeply, trying to regain his composure. "For fuck's sake, Luke, I _want _you."

Luke's heart was hammering in his chest, thrashing about like crazy. His face still prickled with heat, and he could feel that his breathing was uneven. Asch just gazed at him, his lips pressed together in a tight-lipped line as he waited for Luke's reply. But Luke didn't know what to say.

So, he didn't say anything. Instead, his arms shot forward and wrapped around Asch's neck, pulling himself closer to the other boy and hiding his burning face in his milky white skin. He could feel himself shaking, and so could Asch, who hugged him back and held him.

"…H-How… How long?" Luke finally managed to ask shakily. Asch started tracing circles along his back, and he felt himself relax into the touch.

"Since Science that day. The project."

"…You mean when I-"

"It was before that. Back at the school, you looked so amazed when the flame changed color for the first time. That was when it started." Luke pulled away from Asch's neck to look him in the eye.

"Do you mean it?"

"Do you wanna find out?" Luke bit his lip, knowing where the other was going with this. Slowly, he nodded. Asch removed one of his arms from around Luke and cupped his cheek.

"Luke, will you be my boyfriend?"

There it was. Everything he'd been wanting, everything he'd been dreaming about, laid out bare in front of him, his to take if he wanted it. And all it would take… was one simple word.

"Yes," Luke said softly. "Of course I will, Asch." His boyfriend leaned forward, capturing Luke's lips in a kiss, much like the one from last night, before Asch dragged him away. It was soft and sweet, and Luke realized he had never really imagined what it would be like if Asch was actually his boyfriend. So far, it had mostly been about the more intimate stuff. He'd never thought about if Asch liked soft kisses and hand holding all those other things other couples did. But Luke wasn't going to complain. He had just gotten Asch Lorelei to be his boyfriend by getting drunk off his ass and confessing. Life was fucking perfect right now.

Asch pulled away then, and Luke already missed the feeling of his warm lips on his skin. He watched as the other redhead's lips spread into a smile – a real, true, genuine smile. Something Luke had never seen on him before, and it made him beam up at his new boyfriend.

Luke snuggled into Asch's chest, resting his head on his shoulder and closing his eyes. The darker red-haired teen pressed his cheek to the top of Luke's head, his arms sliding back around him. Luke hummed in contentment.

"…Asch?"

"Hm?"

"Does this mean I can ask for your cell phone number without either of us freaking out?" As soon as the question left Luke's mouth, Asch tensed up, not responding. Confused, Luke pulled away again to stare up at the other boy. "Asch?" His boyfriend's eyes slid away from his, staring off to the side.

"…I don't have a phone," Asch said finally. Luke blinked.

"You don't?"

"No." The smaller redhead stayed quiet, hoping Asch would explain. But the crimson-haired teen didn't speak further. Pouting slightly, Luke cuddled back up to Asch.

"You know you can tell me, right?" Asch's fingers lifted upwards and started twirling locks of Luke's fiery red hair. Luke planted a light kiss to the skin of Asch's neck, and smiled when he hummed low in his throat. Asch angled his chin so his mouth was near Luke's ear. He gave it a slow lick and blew on it, making the teen cuddled in his arms shiver before speaking.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you. I've just never exactly told anyone before."

"I don't think it's all that bad. I'm sure lots of other teens don't have phones."

"That's not what I mean." Asch sighed, pushing Luke away from him and into a sitting position. "How are you feeling? Think you're up for a drive?" Luke batted his lashes again.

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay. Why?" Asch slid off the bed and made his way over to Luke's bedroom door.

"Because… I'm gonna take you back to my house."

~oOo~

Asch insisted on driving again, claiming that Luke still wasn't sober enough to get behind the wheel. Luke felt fine, but from the way his boyfriend's mood had changed so quickly made him just agree and slide into the passenger's seat. As they drove along, Luke was starting to realize why Asch had wanted to drive so badly; besides worrying about him crashing, Luke probably wouldn't have been able to navigate his way through the woodsy area they were entering. The asphalt of the road had disappeared, and now the car bounced along what seemed to resemble a faded, unused hiking trail. He wanted to ask where Asch was taking him, but the look on the other's face made him keep his mouth shut. Not to mention Asch was blaring the music; ever a fan of Luke's CD, the redhead had 'Me Against The World' by Simple Plan playing.

Luke was busy thinking over Asch's apparent obsession with his CD player when suddenly the car turned and drove off into the grass. The smaller redhead peered out his window, watching trees pass by, the bright blue sky visible between their tops. The white vehicle made its way into a small clearing, and Luke could see something dark hiding further in. And then Asch was turning the engine off and getting out. Confused, Luke opened his door and stepped onto the lush green grass, doing a three-sixty of his surroundings. There wasn't much to look at; just trees and shrubs and the sky, really. But Luke still found it beautiful. Man, he could sit out here for hours and just draw until-

His thoughts were cut off when he felt something slide into his hand. He looked down and saw Asch's fingers locked between his. Tugging gently on his arm, Asch led him down a trail at the edge of the clearing, the grass flattened and showing the myriad number of times it had been trampled on. The darker redhead guided him through the tunnel of trees and bushes, and then they walked into another tiny clearing, this one smaller than the last. Now he could make out the dark structure he'd seen from the car. It was a puny little shack, clearly run-down and dilapidated. Luke swallowed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as Asch pulled him closer to the building. He was hoping against hope the thought running through his mind was false, but when Asch reached out and pushed the door open, he knew he was right. Slowly, he stepped inside, Asch following behind him and closing the door.

A small round table was in the center of the room, a single chair pushed against it, a black book bag lying on its surface. A hanging light bulb with a dangling silver-chain cord hung directly above it, and Luke noted that, besides the petite window on the far wall, it was the only light source in the room. A few boxes were shoved into the far right corner, seeming to be holding various knick-knacks and one containing an armload of books. In the bottom left corner was a dirty-looking mini-fridge, two plates and a plastic cup resting atop it. Next to it was what was probably a sink but looked more like a wash basin with a faucet, yellowing at the edges. And in the upper left corner, pushed up against the wall with the window, was a bed. Actually, it wasn't really a bed; it was a mattress placed on the floor with a pillow and a thick dark blue blanket thrown over it.

But what caught Luke's attention immediately was the size. The whole building was literally one space. A single room, maybe the size of his bedroom. He turned around to face Asch, who was leaning against the closed door, watching him carefully.

"Don't tell me…" Slowly, his boyfriend nodded. Crinkling his nose in disbelief, Luke gazed around once more. "God, Asch, how can you _live _here?" He didn't have to look at the darker redhead to know he had shrugged.

"You get used to it."

"How long have you been here?"

"A few years. Long enough." Asch walked across the room and sat down on the mattress as Luke poked around some more. The smaller teen shook his head incredulously.

"I don't understand…" He turned to gaze at Asch in confusion. "Why?" Asch sighed, tipping his head back and closing his eyes.

"When I was fifteen – almost three years ago – I left home." Luke's eyes widened. "My parents and I never really saw eye to eye. They kept expecting me to grow up and be some perfect politician or something. They put me in all these classes and gave me all these lessons; I hated it. I felt like I was trapped, so wrapped up in trying to be who they wanted to be that I never thought about what I really wanted. And finally, I got tired of feeling like a caged animal. So I threw some clothes and stuff in a bag, gathered up whatever savings I had lying around at the time and walked out. Never looked back.

"I used most of the money to pay for the trip here to Daath, so I was screwed pretty damn fast. It was pure luck I ended up finding this place. I found it like this too; all I brought in was the mattress and whatever I'd taken with me from home." As he said this, Asch gestured to the boxes in the corner, which Luke went to examine. "I went into the city and got the electricity turned back on, so the fridge and the light work. Most days, at least." Luke looked at him.

"You don't have heat or anything?" Luke's face became painted with concern when Asch shook his head. "How do you make it through winter? Isn't it cold?" The darker redhead opened his green eyes and pulled on the collar of his jacket.

"That's what this is for. And I've got an extra few blankets lying around too." The lighter redhead gazed around the room yet again, noting something important.

"How do you shower? Use the bathroom and stuff?" At the question, Asch slid his eyes away, not looking at the other's face.

"I've got a bottle of shampoo behind the sink… There's a river nearby." Luke didn't react at first. Then:

"_What?_" Asch didn't respond. "You bathe in a _river_?! Asch, that's disgusting!"

"It works," the accused mumbled. Luke put his head in his hand.

"Please tell me you don't drink from it too!"

"I can afford water bottles, thanks."

"How do you make the money to pay for stuff like that?" Asch arched a red eyebrow at the other teen.

"I have a job, obviously."

"Where do you work?" Luke questioned. Asch started drumming his fingers against his kneecaps, appearing to be mulling the answer over in his mind.

"…A club," he said. Luke blinked.

"A club?"

"I'm a bartender." The lighter redhead gaped, his jaw falling open.

"You're a _what_?"

"You heard me."

"How old are you?!"

"Seventeen."

"You're seventeen and working at a bar?! You're crazy! Do you know how much trouble you could get into?!"

"I needed the money. It was my only option." Asch shrugged. "I'll be eighteen in December anyway." Luke pressed his fists into his eyes, taking in a deep breath. This was way too much information to process right now. He felt Asch's hands rest on his shoulders and guide him forward. A few seconds later he was sitting on the mattress, the other redhead beside him. Luke let his hands drop to his lap and twisted his head to see Asch's face.

"How are you affording school? I doubt a bartending job pays much." Asch slid an arm around him and pulled the smaller teen into his chest, Luke nuzzling his face in his neck.

"It doesn't. To be honest I'm barely scraping by with what I'm making now. I'm not paying for my scholarship."

"Huh?"

"The principal, Van, he knew my father. He's why I chose to come to Daath; I knew he was hiding out here somewhere. I just told him I'd come against my father's wishes and didn't have enough money to get into school. He told me he'd take care of it; he pays for my textbooks and all that. The only thing keeping me in school is my grades." Luke reached his arms up and wrapped them around Asch's shoulders, craning his neck to peck his cheek, then hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry…" His boyfriend's other arm slid around him and squeezed lightly.

"Luke," he began, "I didn't tell you this because I want anything from you, okay? I told you because I wanted you to know. So don't go pitying me and looking at me differently."

"I could never," Luke insisted. "If anything, you're only stronger in my eyes now." Asch pressed his cheek to Luke's forehead, his eyes falling closed once more. "And you're welcome over at my place anytime, of course." The darker redhead hummed in acknowledgement. "Oh, and you better get used to coming over all the time, because your not getting back in that river unless you're saving a puppy."

"What?"

"From now on, you're taking showers at my house."

"Did you not hear what I just said? I don't want you to pity me!"

"I'm not. Bathing in a dirty river in the middle of the woods is disgusting, and probably not healthy. Can you imagine all the bacteria that must be in that water?" Asch groaned, falling onto his back on the mattress, his arms sliding free of Luke.

"I can't believe I'm getting this lecture from _you_." Luke smiled.

"Just let me do at least this for you. Please?" Asch cracked one emerald eye open, staring at the lighter redhead, then sighed, allowing his eyelid to fall shut again.

"Fine," he said. "If it means that much to you, I'll do it." Luke nodded in satisfaction, then laid down beside Asch, cuddling up into his side. One of his boyfriend's arms curled around him again, and the other went behind his head. Enjoying the serene air about them, Luke started tracing circles on Asch's toned chest.

"This is why you don't have a phone, right?" he asked quietly. "Because you can't afford one."

"Yeah."

"And that's why you were walking to Guy's party last night. You don't have a car."

"Mhm." Luke fell silent, his heart heavy for the teen who had taken and claimed it in just a week. He pressed his lips against Asch's neck, and he turned his head so their lips touched.

"I hope you know," Asch murmured after they'd parted, "that this means I can't take you on dates or anything. Nowhere nice, at least." His eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Maybe I should've thought this relationship thing out a bit more…"

"No," Luke protested, bringing a hand up to play with a lock of Asch's bloody hair. "I'm glad this happened. And you don't have to take me to any fancy places. In fact, if every one of our dates went like this…" Luke scooted up a bit so his mouth was by Asch's ear. "Then I'd be the happiest guy in the world."


End file.
